I Love You to the Stars Above
by SapphireDragonScales
Summary: Jessie deals with love- familial, platonic, and romantic. Scenes from childhood, the Team Rocket years, and beyond. M for later chapters. Rocketshipping.
1. A White Tomorrow

**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all associated with the Pokemon franchise and make no profit from this story.**

 _ **Chapter One: A White Tomorrow**_

She always associated her mother with snow.

Maybe others would say that was a morbid way of looking at things, but she didn't think so.

The last time she saw her mother, the weather was snowy. They said the last thing her mother saw must have been snow. But that wasn't how Jessie remembered her, being buried in an avalanche. She never saw any such thing. She remembered the snow settled calmly on the ground outside the window as her mother was bidding her goodbye with a sweet kiss on the forehead and promises of a better tomorrow. The snow outside, bathing the world in pristine white, seemed to reinforce the hope of a clean slate, a chance to start again.

* * *

"So my birthday's in a couple of weeks," Jessie began, rousing her foster father and mother out of their morning stupor. They were all sitting around a flimsy wooden table in a small, stuffy room, each with a steaming bowl of a bland, gritty cereal in front of them. They often ate this for breakfast, and Jessie privately referred to it as 'gruel'. "I'll be ten years old, and I was thinking..." She looked down at her hands, tapping her index fingertips together nervously. "I was thinking of starting my Pokemon journey," she finished, gathering her spirit and looking up at the Fords expectantly.

"...Maybe?" she added, a bit timidly, when neither said anything for several long moments.

"Oh, Jessie, I..." Her foster mother, Prue, sighed, clicked her tongue, and looked anxiously over to her husband. "I don't know... Frank, help me out a little here..."

Jessie spoke before her stepfather could. "I know you don't like Pokemon..."

Frank interrupted her, his thick orange mustache twitching as he spoke. Years later, Jessie would remember very little about what her foster family looked like- she wasn't even sure she remembered the color of Prudence Ford's hair. But she always remembered that terribly ugly mustache.

"We've never said we hated Pokemon, Jessie, don't make up stories," Frank said sternly. "We're just not that kind of a family. We're not Pokemon people."

 _We're not a family at all_ , Jessie thought resentfully, sighing softly in frustration. A little bead of sweat dripped down her neck into the back of her shirt. It was so early in the morning, and already sweltering in the little house. After noon, it would be unbearable.

"Right," Prue agreed. She laughed a little, turning to Jessie. "So, dear, where did you get this idea to become a Pokemon trainer from? It's not what we've been raising you to become."

This conversation wasn't proceeding at all like Jessie had hoped. She hated being laughed at, and while she'd laid awake all last night, thinking of how she could convince the Fords to let her go on this journey by overwhelming them with reasonable and mature arguments, it was maybe two minutes into the conversation and she lost her temper.

"Well, what are you raising me to become, other than a bozo who cooks disgusting hot cereal to eat everyday in the summer?!" Jessie shouted, and with a swipe of her arm, knocked her bowl off of the table onto the floor, where it promptly shattered.

Frank pushed his chair back and shot up from his seat, looming over the table and Jessie, his anger palpable. "Now what do you think you're doing, young lady?! You just destroyed our property and made a mess to boot! I should show you the back of my hand!"

Jessie trembled, but luckily, Prue was able to talk him down. "Frank," she said hurriedly, grabbing onto the arm he'd begun to raise, and starting to coax him back into his seat. "No, no, don't do that, let's not get carried away, and anyway, it won't do any good. Jessie is very ungrateful, but that won't help her change her ways."

Red in the face, Frank settled back in his seat. He looked at his wife. "She's the worst one yet, Prue," he growled, shaking his head. "Out of all the kids we've taken in, I never saw one with a worse attitude. She's a bad seed and make no mistake."

Prue cooed and clucked to pacify her husband down, stroking his arm with her hand while she stroked his ego with murmured falsehoods about what a good father he was. It made Jessie want to puke.

"Jessie," said Prue sharply, after Frank had been sufficiently calmed and was taking a long swig of coffee. She snapped her fingers and gestured toward the kitchen, pointing first at a broom and dustpan, then at a sponge on the sink. "Clean up the mess you made. Now."

* * *

In the afternoon, Jessie sat as near to the open window as she could, her red hair pulled back into a bun and periodically putting aside her mending to fan herself with one of the ancient magazines Prue kept on a dusty stand beside the couch. She and her foster mother were working on repairing the household's damaged clothes- sewing on patches and buttons and the like. The heat was as bad as Jessie feared, but still she kept fingering the strands of hair that fell loose from the bun she was wearing for coolness.

Her hair was growing longer. It fell past her shoulder for the first time in years. Up until now, she hadn't been permitted to keep her hair past chin-length- Prue always cut it.

"Shorter hair is just easier to maintain," she would always explain while Jessie protested. "It's less to deal with. I don't have the time to style your hair and you're too young to be trusted with keeping it from looking like a Raticate's nest."

Jessie dearly hoped she wouldn't be forced to cut her hair this time. She thought her hair was beautiful.

While she and Prue were occupied with the mending, Frank came in with a suitcase packed and said goodbye to them. Prue stood up to embrace him, but Jessie only stood up to give him a bow and wish him a safe trip, and only when Prue prompted her with an unmistakable look. After the front door had closed behind him, Jessie asked her foster mother a question.

"Why does Frank always have to leave so often?" It wasn't like she wanted him to stay. She simply didn't understand why he'd chosen to make his living this way- or even what he really did to make a living. She only knew that he often left on 'business trips' and stayed gone for weeks or sometimes months at a time. It was very confusing.

Prue looked slightly pleased, as though she'd interpreted Jessie's question as a sign of affection for Frank and approved.

"It's just how he makes his money, dear. It's how he keeps a roof over our heads."

That was nothing that Jessie didn't know, and anyway, she'd heard that one before back when her mother was still...around. She frowned, and looked up at the ceiling, at the spot where it had leaked last week when it rained. She looked at the shirt on her lap, the badly faded fabric, worn thin in the areas where it hadn't yet ripped. It was only fit to be thrown out, not to be repaired.

Furtively, she dabbed at the back of her sweaty neck with the shirt.

"But..." she began, and then stopped, considering how best to go about making her suggestion. She couldn't simply blurt out, _It doesn't really seem worth it for him to travel so much when it barely pays him any money at all._ At least, not at the start.

"You must miss him," she finally settled on, "when he goes away. Why can't he just get a job here in town?"

Prue shrugged. "There's nothing here that suits his special skills," she said without looking at Jessie.

"Well, then, in the next town over," Jessie put forward. "Somewhere closer to home." She really couldn't care less about having him close to home. She just knew that whatever work he currently did wasn't paying much. She had the feeling that he traveled around looking for odd jobs, which weren't always available and paid a low wage. A steady job would be better. Then maybe they could afford air conditioning and other nice things, and the other kids in town wouldn't laugh at her for being so poor.

"And," she continued, "even if it takes a little while, there's always those checks that come in the mail to tide us over while he looks for a new job."

Prue abruptly laid aside the pants she was attaching a patch to, and, very stiffly, turned her head to look at Jessie. Her expression was unreadable, but she grabbed her foster daughter's arm so hard and so unexpectedly that Jessie, distracted, pricked her finger with the needle she was holding. She cried out softly and stared at the little spot of blood that appeared.

"How do you know about those?" Prue inquired, seemingly calmly.

Jessie shrugged, popping her finger into her mouth and gently sucking it. She stared at Prue, utterly surprised that the woman was surprised to learn of Jessie's knowledge of those checks. It had never occurred to Jessie that they were supposed to be a secret. If they were, why wouldn't Frank and Prue have tried to hide them better?

"They come from some guy named George, right?" Jessie asked, checking to make sure the bleeding on her finger had stopped before pushing a loose piece of hair back behind her ear and resuming her sewing.

There was a pause.

"No," said Prue in a cold voice. "Not exactly. Jessie, that money is...practically nothing. And it's rude of you to ask about it. It's not _yours_ , after all. You don't know anything about it, obviously. So it's not for you to determine how it should be spent." She gave Jessie's arm a slight squeeze and it was as though she was _trying_ to look kindly at the young girl, but it didn't quite work. "Understand?"

Jessie felt like that question was meant to be simple, but she was still filled with a great sense of uncertainty. The Fords controlled the household's money, of course, since that was what parents were supposed to do. However, Jessie sometimes felt as if she understood even less about what was going on under her guardians' roof than most kids did.

What did Frank really do for a living? Where did those checks come from and what were they for? Why did Frank and Prue take her in if they didn't even like her?

So she hesitated before slowly nodding and muttering, "Uh huh."

Prue sighed and looked at her dubiously.

A thought occurred to Jessie, and she began to get excited. "I'm not trying to get your money. If I'm costing you too much," she said with cautious optimism. "I know something that can help. If you let me start my Pokemon adventure…"

"No," interrupted Prue. "Jessie, don't start on this. I simply don't think it's a good idea and that's that."

"But why?" Jessie couldn't keep a whining tone out of her voice. She couldn't help it. The thought that she wouldn't be able to become a Pokemon trainer broke her heart. It was a secret dream she'd been cherishing for years. "Prue, I love Pokemon, and I want to go out and see the world. You wouldn't need to worry about me, my Pokemon would take care of me. Don't you see, if I had Pokemon, I would finally have friends!" To her shame, tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "I feel so lonely sometimes! Those...those losers at school don't understand me, they pick on me, call me names, I'm sick of trying to be their friend! But Pokemon are different. Th-they would...they would give me a chance! Won't _you_ give me a chance, Prue? Please? I'll become a _great_ trainer, you'll see! I'll become rich and famous, and then I can repay you and Frank, for taking me in out of the goodness of your hearts. I'll buy you a big house and a new car, and- "

Prue cut her off, putting her finished mending into a basket and coming to stand over Jessie. She patted her on top of the head and said these words and these alone:

"The best thing in this world you can hope to be is practical."

* * *

It was the evening before Jessie's tenth birthday and the oppressing humidity of another hot day had opened the skies to unleash gallons of rain. Jessie had been unable to avoid getting drenched before ducking into the shop she'd been on the way to, and she huffed in displeasure as she pushed the wet hair back from her face, and blushed with embarrassment as she caught sight of her reflection in the door of a refrigerated case. She smoothed her old, wet, rumpled skirt and grabbed a shopping basket, starting toward a random aisle to begin her search for the ingredients she needed.

She stopped, however, when she heard a couple of kids that she'd passed near the doors speaking in hushed, excited tones.

"Oh, man, do you see that? There's a limo outside! I never saw anything so fancy!"

"It's almost as long as this entire block!"

Another youngster ran inside the store, dripping wet from the rain and joined the boy and girl who had been gossiping next to the doors.

"You should get a load of these people across the street! They're in these crazy formal clothes, it's insane! The woman has a huge umbrella, but she still looks mad as a Gyarados to be out in this rain!" He laughed. "And she talks all funny." He then demonstrated, putting on a delicate-sounding female voice with a pronounced twang. " _Ly-ike thi-is_."

"They've got a kid with them," said the other boy, gazing out the door at the scene.

The girl did likewise, and set to giggling. "He looks pathetic!"

"I wonder if they're moving here," mused the first boy.

"Not a chance," declared the other one dismissively. "Not to our dump of a town. Looks like they're just shopping across the street. Probably just passing through."

The three kids wandered away from the door, and Jessie wandered back towards it. She pressed her nose against the glass and looked out across the street, where, indeed, an immense shiny black limousine was parked next to the curb. A man and woman in very elegant dress stood under the awning of the clothing store which stood opposite to the supermarket. Their backs were to Jessie, and they appeared to be speaking to the shop owner.

Inside the limo, a young boy around Jessie's age was just visible. He had lavender-colored hair and he, too, was turned away from her, his head sticking out of the rolled-down window, and Jessie thought she heard him yelling and trying to get the couple's attention, though she couldn't make out what he was saying. His father, however, could speak much louder, and briefly turning to him, ordered him very sternly to roll up the window before he ruined the upholstery.

Like the other kids, Jessie soon gave up on watching the rich family. Even though it was the most interesting thing she'd seen in town for a long time, it still wasn't _that_ riveting that these wealthy jerks were deigning to grace her little town with their presence. All it did was make Jessie feel a surge of jealousy.

She pushed it aside and resumed her shopping, concentrating on the fact that since tomorrow was her birthday, she was actually going to get to eat some cake. It wasn't going to be a very fancy cake- no chocolate cream with lots of complicated iced swirls and designs on top of its thick frosting. Prue was just going to whip up one of the simple cakes she sometimes liked to bake. They were quick and easy, according to Prue, and according to Jessie, they were largely flavorless, but at least they were sweet. And this cake was being made just for her.

She hummed to herself as she hunted for the flour. She put it in her shopping basket and moved on to find the sugar, before setting forward to grab the butter, eggs, and the milk.

At the back of the store, there was a bulletin board next to the dairy cases. Jessie shuffled over and lingered there to look at all the items tacked up. The rain was still coming down hard outside, so she wanted to take her time in the store in hopes that it would die down.

Jessie let her gaze travel over each advertisement and notice.

Flyers advertised things like rummage sales and guitar lessons and a poster announced that someone's Weedle was missing and answered to the name of Wendy. There was a reward for the missing Pokemon, but Jessie couldn't help but wonder just how people were supposed to tell the difference between Wendy and any other Weedle out there.

Then, something caught her eye.

 **Your Pokemon Journey Starts At Home!**

Jessie felt a little pit in her stomach, as she relived the disappoint she'd felt when her guardians had denied her request to start off on her Pokemon adventure. Ever since then, she'd been trying to reopen the conversation again with Prue by making comments here and there about the advantages of letting her become a Pokemon trainer right away. So far, Prue was batting them away quicker than she could bat an eyelash, and it sent a wave of despair through Jessie to think that she might forever be forbidden from setting off her journey. "Pokemon Journey" and "Home" were very sensitive topics to her at the moment, and she at first misread the text as 'Your Pokemon Journey Stays at Home'!

Jessie read further on the flyer. There were several of them stacked on a pile of crates beneath the bulletin board. She picked one up and read quietly out loud to herself:

"When you enroll in Pokemon Technical Institute, that is. Hone your Pokemon battle skills and knowledge in the comfort of your own home. Our campus i luxurious. Our classes are rigorous. It's the premier prep school sponsored and accredited by the Pokemon League. Graduates guaranteed admission! Scholarships available! Pay us a visit and find your own path to the Pokemon League."

She stopped and thought about it.

"Wow, a school where you can learn how to become a master trainer. But that seems a little dull compared to getting to travel all over the world."

Still, she impulsively took a flyer, figuring that it probably didn't make much sense, but as she shoved the flyer into the pocket of her skirt, she thought that it might be a good option to have on the back burner, especially if scholarships were available.

Jessie finished up collecting the items she needed for the birthday cake recipe, paid at the register, and was happy to discover, after taking a peek outside, that the rain had stopped. She left the store, happily skipping over a puddle outside the door, and, putting one foot out in front of her, was about to start down the sidewalk.

However, as she looked casually around at her stifling, nowhere little town after the rain, she noticed something, resting on the ground across the street. Something glittered in the gutter, even on this gray day with the absence of sunlight. Jessie hurried over to find out what it was.

Jessie crouched down and scooped the item up in her hand. She gasped.

It was the most gorgeous, expensive-looking thing she'd ever seen. It felt thrilling, but surreal, to hold the heavy, gem-encrusted broach in her hand. Her hand didn't feel posh enough to hold it- instead, it strangely felt...grubbier than usual. Jessie frowned. She didn't like feeling out of her league, especially when it was just a stupid piece of jewelry intimidating her. Yet, it was so shiny, so sparkling, so pretty, so glamorous!

It was hard to believe that it was now hers, but it was also incredibly fun to believe that it was now hers!

Jessie stared at the glimmering rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, circles within circles of them, surrounding an enormous diamond in the middle. It was only after noticing the massive size of the diamond that it occurred to her- and only very briefly- that the stones in the broach might not be real. But then she remembered seeing the limousine that had been parked where she was kneeling, and the extravagant clothes on the people who had been riding in it. The broach most definitely contained _real_ stones, and Jessie trembled with excitement to hold it.

This could solve everything! If she sold this one piece of jewelry, it could most likely feed her and her guardians for years! They could buy better clothes, and afford other luxuries they'd been denied, like a nicer home, and vacations, so Frank and Prue could relax and not always be in wretched moods! And then...and then they'd _surely_ allow her to become a Pokemon trainer and start off on her journey!

 _What a stroke of luck!_ she thought, beaming to herself.

"Well, well, well, it looks little Jessie is actually living in the gutter now," came a sneering voice that Jessie recognised at once as belonging to Randy, a boy who went to her school and was a grade above her.

He was also a total jerk who liked to bully her.

"Go away, Randy!" Jessie yelled, still kneeling next to the curb. Her hands balled into fists at the sight of him.

"Make me," taunted Randy in a singsong voice, leaning down obnoxiously into her face.

The fists squeezed together tighter. "Don't tempt me," Jessie spat out at him, feeling like she really wanted to slug him. She held the broach inside one fist, though, and as her fingers constricted around it, the gems and metal dug painfully into her skin, and she accidentally dropped the piece of jewelry.

Randy laughed. "Oh, of course you want to fight, you ugly little bum! Well, from now on, my Pokemon are going to be doing my fighting for me. How are you going to like to it when I sick my Charizard on you, Jessie? I'm getting my starter Pokemon next week for my Pokemon journey. If you get one, too, we can have a battle. I'm not afraid. You're such a loser, you'll never win at anything." He grinned a wide, mean grin. ""But, then again, your fake parents probably can't afford to send you on your Pokemon journey, orphan. Me, on the other hand...I've already got all my supplies. Check this out."

He pulled back his jacket to reveal that he had a whole half dozen Pokeballs clipped to his belt.

"You don't know anything, Randy," Jessie replied as haughtily as she could manage. She reached out to retrieve the broach, but Randy had spotted where it had fallen on the ground and quickly stepped on her hand.

Jessie cried out in pain and pulled away hard while cursing at him.

"Damn you, you piece of crap, what the hell are you doing?!" She massaged her injured hand to lessen the pain.

"Ha! What are _you_ doing, you trash? It looks like you've stolen something." Randy swiftly knelt down and stuck out his hand, snatching the glittering broach out from under Jessie's nose while she was distracted.

"No!" Jessie yelled, her heart giving a leap of dread. "Give that back! It's mine!"

Randy snorted. "Yeah, right. You expect me to believe that? How could you ever afford something like this when I heard you couldn't even afford to pay your power bill last month? How often does that happen, anyway? According to my parents, it wasn't the first time. You guys should just get a Pikachu or something to power your shack, since you can't afford normal electricity. Of course, you probably can't afford the Pikachu, either, and it would starve to death."

Randy was holding the broach in his hand, bouncing it gently up and down against his palm. "Finders keepers," he sneered.

"That's why it's mine!" Jessie cried, feeling that her dreams of a life of ease and comfort had slipped through her fingers along with that broach. " _I_ found it! Give it back!" She lunged for Randy, pushing him down, flat on his back.

" _Oof!"_ Randy grunted, as he smacked back into the concrete.

Jessie's tackle sent the broach flying out of his hand, and the luxurious jewelry item skidded over the ground before plummeting down a sewer grate.

"Noooo!" moaned Jessie, reaching out in vain in the direction of the already lost item. An elbow to her gut then had her groaning for a different reason, and she reared back. Randy roughly shoved her off of him.

"Look what you did!" he yelled, as thunder rumbled in the background, threatening more rain. "You idiot!"

 _Look what you did, look what you did…_ Something _cracked!_ against the pavement when she landed. It wasn't a bone, it came from her grocery bag. Jessie sucked in a suspenseful breath and squeezed her eyes shut, plunging a hand into the bag...and feeling broken eggs, the slime of the yolks and whites coating her fingers.

Jessie looked over at Randy, sprawled out across from her, but moving to get to his feet, a volatile gray sky behind him. Rage began to bubble up in her.

"You're the idiot!" she retorted hotly, launching herself back up into a standing position. "Why can't you just learn to leave me alone? You've broken my eggs!" She held out the bag and swung it back and forth in front of his eyes.

Randy scoffed, back on his feet and rubbing his elbow. "So what? Big deal. They're only eggs. You want me to really give you something to cry about?"

He rushed at her before she could do anything about it, and grabbed her wrist, throwing her down and tearing the bag from her hand in one quick, rough motion.

Jessie looked on, making a high-pitched, distraught noise in the back of her throat, as Randy shoved the bag with the birthday cake ingredients down the drain, sending them down to follow the jeweled broach.

"There," Randy snickered hatefully. "Now you've lost everything. Now your stupid family will probably starve."

"Noooo…" Jessie whimpered.

The rage that had been building broke just as the sky was threatening to break. She flew at Randy again, seizing his collar in both hands as they both fell over onto the ground.

Jessie sat on his chest and shook him by the collar, making his head smack against the street a few times before pulling back one arm and sending her fist sailing toward Randy's face.

It was a one-punch K.O. and Randy gave a little groan before losing consciousness. Jessie crawled off of him and then stayed there kneeling in the gutter, catching her breath and trying to calm herself enough to begin walking back home, where she was sure not to receive a warm welcome. She noticed for the first time that her arm was badly scraped from the concrete, but although it did hurt some, that's not what she paid the most attention to as she was climbing to her feet.

One little ruby must have been knocked loose from the broach before it disappeared forever down the sewer grate. Jessie picked it up and examined it. It was beautiful, shining in her hand, but _so small_. It might be the biggest stone in a fairy princess's crown, but for a human, it was scarcely big enough to be the center stone in a dainty ring. Jessie wondered how much it was worth.

The rain began to fall again as Jessie stood back up straight and placed the Pokeballs and ruby inside of her pocket with the flyer from Pokemon Tech. She would be wet through by the time she got home. That flyer was probably doomed. She stared down at Randy, still knocked out cold on the ground.

She swallowed hard and tried to feel victorious.

"That's what you get," she told her unconscious tormenter. "You ruined my dream of selling that broach. And you ruined my birthday. So I'm taking your Pokeballs."

As exciting as it was, though, to get her hands on some Pokeballs she could use on the adventure she was determined to someday embark on, it didn't fully console her when she'd lost the broach, which could have given her so much more...and worse, when she'd lost her birthday cake ingredients. Despite her best efforts, Jessie began to sniffle, and then slowly, to cry.

She'd be in for it when she got home. But no matter how much she'd like it to be otherwise, there was nowhere else for her to go right now. So, soaked through and sobbing, Jessie made her way there.

* * *

"Well, then, I guess you just won't have a birthday cake," stated Prue with surprising calmness as Jessie stood in the doorway, with tear-stained cheeks and clasping her scraped arm.

Not a word was said about Jessie's injury, or any sympathy shown over the emotional pain she'd suffered. Jessie slid down the door to sit slumped on the floor.

"No...no birthday cake?" She was crestfallen, but she had suspected as much.

"That's just the way it has to be," Prue declared coldly from where she perched on the old, battered sofa as if it were a shabby throne. Behind her, water dripped down from the ceiling and made _tap-tap-plink_ sounds as it rained into a pan placed on the floor.

"Jessie, I'm sure you're disappointed, but I am awfully disappointed _in you_. How could you be so thoughtless as to put that bag in danger? You foolish girl, it was full of things I'd set precious money aside to buy you, so you could have a special treat on your birthday. And you just neglected it to get into a scrape with some boy from your school over a piece of costume jewelry you found in the gutter?" She never once raised her voice during this whole speech, but spoke with an eerie composure.

Jessie was about to argue that she was quite certain there was no way the broach was costume jewelry, and also to tell her that she'd saved the little ruby, but quickly changed her mind. Prue likely wouldn't believe her, anyway, and whether she did or not, Jessie couldn't risk her taking that little ruby away.

"Don't be mad! Please don't be mad!" Jessie begged. She herself was angry as well as saddened and scared, and her voice showed it. "How can you be mad when it isn't my fault?" she demanded.

At that, Prue did raise her voice. "You were loitering in the streets instead of heading straight home!" she yelled, with her hands on her hips. "Jessie, I swear, sometimes it's like you're just _looking_ for trouble!"

" _I am not!_ " Jessie protested, stamping her foot. "I was only looking at a pretty piece of jewelry, that's all, and Randy had to come up to me and start picking on me! It's not like I _wanted_ him to call me names and push me down! He's such a creep! All I did was defend myself!"

"You should have walked away," said Prue argued, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "You shouldn't have given him the chance to attack you. And you shouldn't have been sitting on the street to begin with. Haven't you been taught better than that? You must have looked like such a little ragamuffin. People will think we've taught you no manners!"

A blush of bitter resentment colored Jessie's cheeks. To have her foster mother repeat that nasty bully Randy's words stung. Besides, it was Frank and Prue's fault in the first place that people thought she was some street urchin. They were the ones who'd made her look like one!

"You're the ones who made me look like a little ragamuffin!" Jessie shrieked in furious frustration, and watched Prue's face turn beet red. "You and Frank! You're the reason I look like a beggar on the street!"

"If not for us, you'd _be_ one!" Prue insisted, fire in her eyes, making Jessie shrink back. "We took you in out of the goodness of our hearts! You're lucky to have a roof over your head, little Miss Jessie! Do you think you're some little princess? Your mother was no better- she didn't have two cents to rub together. Or, much common sense, either, as a matter of fact."

To have Prue speak ill of Jessie's _real_ mom was a gut punch to the young girl.

"She left to make a better life for me! That's what they said, that's what everyone always said! She loved me, and she loved her Pokemon! She was an amazing trainer, and she would have encouraged me to become an amazing trainer, too! And if I'd had a Pokemon with me today, I would've been able to fight Randy off! My Pokemon would've protected me and- "

"Enough!"

Her foster mother's shout was practically a roar. Prue turned her back on Jessie and ordered,

"You'll go to bed early tonight as punishment for your carelessness. Go and get your pajamas on."

Jessie almost refused, but thought the better of it. Disobedience would get her nowhere in this instance, and besides, bed sounded like the best option, anyway.

It was frequently hard to find things to do for fun around the house- which was why Jessie preferred to play outdoors. But now it was pouring rain, so that was a no-go. The Fords didn't have a T.V., so Jessie sometimes had to get creative to find ways to pass the time. More often than not, Prue would see her unoccupied and make her help out with some boring chores.

So Jessie concluded that there was nothing worth staying up for, even if she wasn't tired from an oppressively hot day, followed by a highly stressful evening. Which she definitely was.

Alone in her room, she got changed like her guardian had instructed. She hid the tiny ruby and dampened-but-somehow-still-intact flyer for Pokemon Tech inside of her sock drawer, then gathered up all the Pokeballs she'd taken from Randy and climbed into bed. Jessie carefully lined up the Pokeballs against her body, imagining what it would be if they actually had Pokemon inside them. Imagining what it would be like to be surrounded by friends, curled up and ready for bed with her Pokemon pals.

A few minutes later, Prue came in to say goodnight to her.

"I'm sorry you had a bad day," the woman said, standing just inside Jessie's room. She slowly walked over to the bed. "And that you ruined the stuff for your cake. I'd buy the replacement ingredients, but times are tough right now."

 _When are they ever not?_ Jessie wondered sadly.

Prue came to stand beside her foster daughter's bed. "That's also why there's no birthday present for you. We just can't afford it right now.

Jessie forced an awkward smile and feigned lightness in her voice when she said,

"You know what would be a cheap present? Sending me off on my Pokemon journey."

Prue laughed heartily. "It really wouldn't be. We'd need to buy potions and Pokeballs."

Jessie squirmed self-consciously, feeling every inch like a criminal hiding her hoard. But she didn't feel as guilty as she probably should have. Randy had made fun of her, he'd pushed her down and made her ruin the ingredients for her cake. He'd stolen the pretty brooch that would have done so much good for Jessie's household, leaving only the small, fiery ruby. He'd deserved what he'd gotten, and Jessie refused to think anything else!

If only those Pokeballs had come with some Pokemon!

Jessie stared up at her foster mother defiantly.

"Well, Frank left to go make money. Is he going to bring me back a birthday present? He didn't even wish me a happy birthday before he left."

Prue looked furious.

"You shouldn't say such things," she snapped, then took a breath and softened her tone slightly. "He's not such a bad man, Jessie. Remember, he always comes back. That's more than your father ever did, isn't it?" She asked that last part with a hint of a syrupy quality to her voice that set Jessie's teeth on edge.

But all she could do was shake her head and mutter, "I never met my father."

Prue nodded sagely, as though she'd just accomplished something important.

"Since I'm growing up...since I'm ten whole years old tomorrow," said Jessie, watching Prue's expression shift to concern, "would it be okay if I asked some grown-up questions about my family? I just want to know about my past, Prue. A girl needs to know...especially a young woman, like I'm becoming. It will help me understand myself."

Her foster mother's visible apprehension had increased. "The past is the past. What more could you want to know?"

"Lots of things!" Jessie announced, with an enthusiasm she could not temper. "I know next to nothing about my past."

"There's nothing much to tell that wouldn't be a burden to you," Prue said firmly. As if knowing that such a vague response was unlikely to satisfy Jessie, the woman paused and appeared to be considering her options.

"Your mother's name was Miya, did you know that?"

Jessie gave a huff of displeasure. That was such a basic piece of information as to be crushingly disappointing.

"Yeah. I knew that," she said quietly.

Prue appeared to become frustrated with her and apparently decided to try a scare tactic next.

"I really don't know what else to share with you, Jessie. You know your mother's name. You know why she isn't here anymore. Anything else might be too much. There's a darkness to your past that you can't even imagine." Prue's voice grew correspondingly dark and made Jessie shiver.

A long silence followed.

"My mom was a Pokemon trainer, wasn't she?" Jessie asked, looking down at her blanket and wishing so hard that Prue would tell her lots about what kind of trainer Miya had been. She looked back up at her foster mother nervously.

Prue scrutinized her carefully for a moment, then admitted, in a grudging sort of way, "Yes. She was a Pokemon trainer." She sighed and knelt down next to the bed. She reached out and stroked Jessie's cheek with the backs of her fingers. The girl froze. Prue had to lean across the bed a little ways to caress her, and Jessie was afraid she'd feel the Pokeballs hidden under the covers.

"She went on increasingly reckless journeys because she thought her Pokemon would protect her no matter where she went. But she was wrong. There are some things Pokemon can't protect you from. And that's why she never got to come back from her last journey."

Prue's gentle touch was so at odds with her harsh words that it made Jessie want to wince away, but she was afraid of disturbing the blanket and also didn't want to be scolded for being rude to her foster mom.

"It seems like..." Jessie began carefully, with an ache in her heart, "...it's always seemed like...to me...that there's no proof she isn't still alive." She'd never said it out loud before. To say one's greatest hope out loud for the first time is no small thing, and it made Jessie's yearning heart pound in her chest. She didn't remember much about her mother- only that she loved her, and that her mother had loved her back.

She looked to Prue almost frantically, not knowing what kind of support she expected to receive from her. There was none to be found, in any case.

"Jessie," Prue said flatly, "get a clue. It's been five years. If your mother's not dead, then where is she? Why did she abandon you for so long?"

Jessie swallowed thickly. This was something she'd done a lot of thinking about, how could it not be? She thought she'd come up with some possible answers, but as she looked Prue in the face before speaking them aloud, she worried they'd come out sounding fanciful to the point of impossible.

"Well...maybe she has amnesia, or she was kidnapped..." Jessie trailed off. Judging by Prue's expression, she was right to doubt she'd be taken seriously.

"But more than likely, what you've always been told is the truth," Prue stated briskly. She stood up from the floor. The moon was backlighting her and throwing curious shadows across her face. It made there look like there was a touch of evil about her, and Jessie had to glance away.

"You were making such a big deal about how old you are now, " said Prue. "Well, you're too old to be hanging onto these childish delusions, that's for sure."

She walked to the door, then turned back to say before she left, "Your mother is gone for good. Accept it."

The door clicked shut softly behind her, leaving Jessie alone in the dark and struggling not to start crying again. Under the covers, she held a Pokeball in her hand so tightly that she imagined waking up with an indelible imprint on her palm. Something that would forever mark her as a Pokemon trainer. The mark of her destiny.

* * *

The next morning, upon waking up, Jessie furiously kicked off the covers in her hot and stuffy little room. Then, she just as frantically pulled them back up, remembering the Pokeballs she'd concealed in the bed with her.

It was the morning of her tenth birthday. Jessie rolled over onto her back and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her nightgown sleeve. She stared up at the ceiling and spoke out loud to the room.

"Happy birthday, Jess. You're ten years old now."

It was funny. She'd woken up with a sense of melancholy- not strange, considering what happened yesterday, and the precedent her other birthdays had set. But there was something else she was feeling, too...

It was the sense that there was something around the corner...something that was going to...happen, very soon.

She shook the covers down off her shoulders, enough to still be covering her illicitly-acquired loot.

Jessie got up and looked down at the bed. Her brows drew together angrily. How could she sense something very big coming for her, just around the corner? The anticipation, the excitement and impatience that stirred within her were doomed to go ungratified that day. What a foolish thought, to look forward to today at all!

A sudden fire filled her and blazed more and more as she recalled the pain the previous day had caused her. Being told she couldn't start her Pokemon journey. Frank frightening her with his threat to hit her. The expensive broach giving her hope of escaping her life of poverty, but then having that hope vanish down the sewer grate only minutes later. Losing her birthday cake ingredients. Being bullied by that awful Randy. And Prue being completely unsympathetic as usual about Jessie's wants and needs, and saying cruel things about her mother. Well, what would Jessie's mother do, if she were here? How would she want her beloved daughter to celebrate her birthday?

 _She'd...support my dream_ , Jessie thought to herself with certainty. _She'd be proud of me, for wanting to follow in her footsteps and become a Pokemon trainer._

And with that, a decision was made. A black cloud had been cast over her day yesterday. But now, a plan was forming in Jessie's head, to ensure that she had a memorable birthday, and a clean start. A start as clean and sparkling as new winter snow.

A white tomorrow.

 _ **To be continued...**_


	2. The Visitor

**Author's Note: I humbly apologize for taking so long to update this fic. Irl stuff got in the way, and while I'd like to say it'll never happen again, I strongly dislike broken promises. And so, I'll promise to try and not let it happen again. I want to thank each and every person who has read and/or reviewed the first chapter. Your encouragement means a lot!**

 **P.S. My guy was my very obliging editor for this chapter when I was too tired to proof it myself. So, if you see any errors...blame him. haha**

 _ **Chapter Two: The Visitor**_

"Where are you going?"

Jessie gasped, her hand reflexively tightening on her backpack strap as she froze at the front door. "What?" she squeaked.

 _Careful, Jess,_ she reminded herself. _Act casual or she'll get suspicious._

"Oh...um...I was just gonna go outside and play," she lied, not turning around to face her guardian. She stuck out a hand and wrapped it around the doorknob, ready to make a break for it. "I'm going up the street to the park on the corner." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the backpack. "I'm taking my ball with me." It wasn't really a lie. It was just less than the full truth. She was bringing a ball- a Pokeball. Plus five more.

Of course, Prue would hopefully just believe that she was taking the soccer ball that was her one plaything. Jessie didn't particularly like or even know how to play soccer, but the ball had been left behind by a previous foster child of the Fords and so Jessie had inherited it. The Fords had never bought Jessie a toy specially for her. Certainly never any dolls, which Jessie had always yearned for.

"I thought," Jessie continued, warming to the lie, "that I'd bring my bag so I can look more like an athlete, like the other kids who come with all their sports equipment in gym bags."

"Well," said Prue, shrugging, "I'd rather you have naive dreams of being a sports star than keep going on and on about becoming a Pokemon trainer, but your trip to the park will have to wait a couple hours at least. I need you to help me some around the house first."

"Oh," sighed Jessie, half with disappointment because her plan had been delayed just so she could get stuck doing chores, and half with relief because at least her plan hadn't been discovered. With a slightly trembling hand, she lowered her backpack off her shoulder and clasped it by a strap. "I'll just take this to my room, then. Be right back."

"Meet me in the kitchen," instructed Prue.

Jessie hurried off and stowed her backpack under her bed, just in case leaving it out in the open would make Prue want to look inside of it.

In the kitchen, a bucket and mop stood ready for her. Jessie sighed and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, wrapping it around her head like a bandana, and put her hands on the mop handle, begrudgingly ready to start her work.

"Just a moment, please," came Prue's clipped, authoritative voice from behind her, causing Jessie to jump. "I want to talk to you." She cupped a hand to her chin and studied Jessie as the girl turned around. "You seem kinda jumpy today."

Jessie felt her eyes grow wide and she cast about frantically for a way to reassure her guardian that she didn't need to keep a watchful eye on her today.

"Er, uh…" She fumbled for an excuse briefly, but was able to come up with a phony baloney explanation so quickly she impressed herself. She'd pulled it off before, too, with the cover story about the soccer ball. She had to figure she was just a natural liar.

"I just...I got into trouble yesterday, and I guess now I'm just a little nervous about messing up again and getting punished. I always seem to do that. I…" Jessie took a deep breath. She hesitated and shuffled her feet against the floor. "I just want to be a good girl and make you proud, Prue," she said through gritted teeth.

Prue appeared caught off guard. Then she smiled smugly at her young charge.

"You know, I thought that last night might bring about a change in you! Sometimes, all it takes is a little sacrifice and hearing some hard truths. Maybe you _are_ growing up, after all." She gave Jessie a pat on the head and, then, standing with her arms crossed self-assuredly, added, "Well, I thoroughly approve. It's about time you thought of somebody else for a change and learned the joys of making your parents happy."

 _You're not my parents!_ Jessie thought hatefully as Prue left the room with a triumphant saunter. She dunked the mop into the bucket of water and was about to begin her work when Prue poked her head back into the room.

"Oh! I almost forgot what I wanted to talk to you about! I'm having a visitor today, so you choosing to turn over a new leaf is good timing. I want you on your _best_ behavior while she's here, understand? She's a very important lady and a good friend of mine and Frank's. I'm going to go wait out front now to greet her."

This was unusual. The Ford's hardly ever had guests over, and none that had ever required Jessie to receive anything like that little speech. Jessie wasn't aware that Frank and Prue even _had_ friends. However, she turned off her curiosity about her guardian's guest, and pushed down her annoyance at Prue's superior attitude, and concentrated on just mopping the floor, telling herself that by the end of the day, none of it would matter, anyway.

Only a few minutes later, she heard two women entering the little house. As Prue led her guest into the living room, Jessie could hear her foster mom talking to her guest.

"Well, I can't go, of course, there's the girl to think about. She'd starve without me here, and we can't have her wasting away, can we?"

"She sounds quite helpless," said an unfamiliar voice, a woman's voice. She gave an obnoxious, trilling laugh. "Are you sure it's absolutely vital that..."

The woman's voice cut off, and Jessie heard muffled speaking coming from Prue, Jessie's guardian speaking in hushed, plaintive tones, although Jessie couldn't distinguish the words being said. The woman laughed loudly again.

"My, how considerate of you," said the woman in a voice that seemed to project all around the tiny house. "Not to worry. I don't wish to displease friends in high places. You know he's especially...touchy right now."

"Jessie?" Prue called.

Jessie realized that she'd hardly done any mopping at all, merely swirled the mop around the same spot a dozen or more times while listening in on the conversation in the next room. She groaned and cursed herself, and, rather expectedly, when Prue peeked into the kitchen at her and saw her lack of progress, she gave Jessie a disapproving look.

That, however, was the end of it. Prue then asked, or rather, ordered,

"Bring in some tea for my guest and myself, Jessie. Don't forget the sugar."

She disappeared out of view again, and Jessie huffed and fetched the kettle, filling it with water and setting it to boil. She retrieved the tea and sugar from the mostly-empty food cabinets. The sugar had hardened into one big piece in its bowl, and Jessie worked at chipping away at it while the water heated to a boil.

When it was time to bring the tea into her mother and the mystery guest, Jessie found them sitting together on the couch. The strange woman was running her fingers over a burn mark in the fabric.

She was about Prue's age, with short golden blond hair. She was well-dressed in a stylish short black dress and sophisticated red blazer, with black shoes sporting intimidatingly spiky heels on her feet. Altogether, she had a glamorous air about her. She was an attractive woman, with long lashes, ruby red lipstick, and an air of total self-confidence.

"Jessie," said Prue, as Jessie sat the tea things out on the table, "this is Sunny. She works for the same... organization that sometimes employs Frank. He's out on a job for them right now."

Jessie was intrigued, but knew better than to ask any questions.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," she murmured politely, eyes downcast. Something about this woman made her suddenly intimidated.

The beautiful woman called Sunny cringed, and laughed her ugly laugh. "Oh, please don't call me that," she said. She used the word 'please', but her tone wasn't quite civil. "I hate being called 'ma'am'. It makes me feel like an old lady. Silly, I know, when I still look so youthful and lovely." Black-nailed fingers now idly toyed with a hole in the couch, probably widening it and making it look even worse. Jessie saw Prue notice, but curiously, Prue didn't say anything.

"I like your nails," said Jessie. Sunny squinted at her dubiously, as though she couldn't decide if Jessie was being a smart aleck over those nails wreaking havoc on the couch cushion.

"She looks so much like Miya, doesn't she, Prue?" said Sunny, after a moment. "Like both of them. I'd know her anywhere."

"I don't really know anything about that," Prue replied stiffly. "I only ever met Miya twice before she disappeared, and I never met Jessie's father at all."

Jessie stared at Sunny. "Did you know them?" she blurted out. "Did you know my parents? What were they like?"

 _You shouldn't have asked,_ she reprimanded herself. _She's Prue's friend, and Prue is an awful person. Sunny is probably an awful person, too. She sure has a nasty laugh and smile. She'll probably just say something that's going to hurt you._

Prue clicked her tongue impatiently, but Sunny seemed to welcome the question. She leaned back further against the couch and stretched out her legs casually, getting comfortable before she launched into her story. "We worked for the same organization, you mother and I," she disclosed. "On a handful of occasions, we worked side-by-side on the same project. I remember her well. She was...quite the little darling around headquarters for awhile."

Jessie was so grateful for even this little scrap of information- the only positive thing she'd ever heard about her mother- that she outright begged for more. Hands clasped together, she fell down before the couch at Sunny's feet.

"Jessie!" Prue exclaimed, clearly disapproving, while Sunny looked more amused than anything.

"She was?" Jessie asked eagerly, ignoring her foster mother. "She really was? I bet she was really smart and talented, huh? I think I remember her being beautiful- was she? Was she breathtakingly beautiful? Were you good friends with her? What was her job?"

Prue sat very rigidly on the couch, eyes wide and unblinking, looking tense. Jessie laughed internally. _Of course you don't want me to hear the truth. I'm about to find out the truth from someone who isn't just interested in badmouthing my mom. And when I learn that she was even more amazing than I imagined, you'll look more pathetic than ever, won't you, Prue?_

Sunny gave a small smile and removed the clear, visor-type glasses she wore, twirling them idly between two fingers. "Miya was a superstar in the organization for awhile. Our boss at the time doted on her. Was she smart and talented? She could be. When it came to certain things. Was she beautiful?" Sunny shrugged and put her glasses back on. "She was good-looking enough, I suppose. She had her share of men that were interested. Then she met your father, and things went belly-up shortly after. I never understood why. I always thought he seemed like somebody with money, but where did it go? There didn't seem to be any left after he passed on."

Jessie stiffened, a heavy feeling dropping into her gut. Her father was dead?

She'd never known for certain. Was this better or worse than if he had abandoned her mother and her? Sometimes, she made up stories that let him off the hook. Sometimes she told herself that he was lost or abducted. Sometimes, that was where her mother had gone: to rescue her one true love. But now this woman had casually referred to him dying as though Jessie should've known it all along, and although she still didn't believe it one hundred percent, she felt that it was probably true.

Jessie's heart broke a little. She didn't remember her father at all, but maybe he'd been a good man who would've loved her.

She wouldn't realize until later that night, when she lay under the stars, contemplating the day's events, that Sunny had never answered her last two questions.

"Jessie," said Prue sternly, frowning at her, "I think that's enough. Get up off your knees, get back in the kitchen, and finish mopping that floor. Stop disrupting the grown-ups' visit."

Annoyance filled Jessie. "But Prue- " she started to protest, but the rest of her objection died on her lips when she saw from her guardian's expression that the woman meant business.

Jessie's outcry turned into a whispered apology. "I'm sorry. I'll get back to work." She was still determined not to upset her stepmother today. She had no way of knowing if the punishment Prue inflict on her if she behaved badly would throw a wrench in her plans to leave.

As she shuffled out of the room, the conversation between the women segued into talk of Sunny's daughter, who had apparently just gotten her starter Pokemon.

"She wouldn't take a Rattata, unfortunately," said Sunny with a dramatic sigh. "Spoiled little thing. That's what I get for treating her like a princess all these years. She's too picky. It would've been so much more convenient if she'd taken a Rattata, seeing as I've been breeding them for the past five years."

 _Everyone has it better than me_ , thought Jessie despondently as she resumed her mopping. She was feeling rather conflicted. Her mood toward Prue was completely straightforward: she was angry that her guardian had sent her out of the room when someone was _finally_ willing to talk about her mother. But Jessie didn't know what she should do about that. She thought hard about it as she swirled the dirty old mop around the wooden floor, but as much as she hated the idea of letting this snobbish but intriguing woman walk out of her life, very probably forever, without getting her to share all the stories she had to tell about Jessie's mother…

Jessie sighed sadly and then swung the mop into its bucket and wrung it out violently. She resented Prue more than ever for this final insult of not letting her converse with Sunny, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Hey, kid," came a melodic but superior-sounding voice at the kitchen doorway. Jessie did a jump-turn and was startled to see Sunny standing there. The woman chuckled at her obvious surprise.

"Wanna come see something cool?" The woman winked. "Come outside with Prue and me for a minute."

The mop clattered to the floor as Jessie dropped it in disbelief. Was she actually being invited to be part of the visit?

"Sure!" she answered eagerly, hastening to follow Sunny out of the room.

Out in front of the house, Sunny's heels stabbed into the dirt and patchy, dying grass that made up the front yard. Prue was standing off to the side, looking awkward. By the glances that she darted at Sunny, it was plain that she was feeling unhappily cowed by the woman. Prue addressed Jessie:

"Sunny had an idea to show you what a real Pokemon battle looks like. I was reluctant at first, but then I thought that maybe it would get you to stop talking about becoming a trainer so much." In fact, it seemed as though Prue was still very much reluctant to agree to Sunny's suggestion, but she went on. "You need something to tide you over, since you seem obsessed with Pokemon at the this battle will cure you of your fascination. Maybe at least you'll decide you'd be just as happy watching as participating. Being a trainer really isn't all that exciting."

This didn't sound like a good plan at all for getting Prue what she wanted, and from her agitated behavior, it was obvious that she doubted her own words. Jessie wondered about the sway Sunny must hold over her. She worked for a company that sometimes sent Frank out on jobs, Prue had said. Sunny probably had a high level position with this company, then, and she could make sure Frank never got any work through them again if he or Prue displeased her.

Sunny strutted up to Prue and handed her a Pokeball. Prue held it so reluctantly that it was like Sunny had just given her something poisonous to the touch. Sunny then went back over to the opposite side of the yard, throwing Jessie a wink as she walked past her.

The woman's crimson lips quirked into a smile. She held her Pokeball out in front of her and flexed her midnight-tipped fingers around it showily.

"Raticate, go!" she cried out, and in a brilliant flash of light, a large, beige rat Pokemon with fearsome-looking teeth appeared on the lawn.

"A Raticate?" Jessie studied the Pokemon before her. It wasn't all that cute or cool looking, its appearance just being like that of a big furry rodent, but she was still fascinated. She hadn't had the chance to see many different types of Pokemon in her life- just the ones she would see in the streets of town and those people would sometimes bring with them to the park.

"Of course," she heard Prue say. Jessie turned toward her foster mother, who was looking at the Pokeball in her hand doubtfully. Finally, Prue threw it, shouting out, rather half-hearted,

"Go...whatever you are!"

The burst of light from her Pokemon revealed a Pidgey, a Pokemon Jessie had seen plenty of around town. She watched as it sat flapping its wings and giving it's battle cry, seeming much more ready for what was about to occur than Prue did.

"See? I even _let_ you have the type advantage by loaning you that Pidgey, so you have nothing to worry about, Prue," said Sunny, but she would have been more reassuring if she wasn't currently smirking at Prue like she was.

"Yeah...sure," muttered Prue. The woman seemed to try to shake herself out of her uncertainty. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists and looked like she was thinking hard.

"Okay!" she shouted at last. "Pidgey! Use...er, Tackle attack!"

The bird Pokemon flew at Raticate, who jumped out of the way, but turned around before Pidgey was just beyond reach, and, at its trainer's command-

"Use Bite, Raticate!" Sunny commanded-

The Raticate thrust its already jutting teeth out even more and snapped at one of Pidgey's wings, taking the bird Pokemon down to the ground.

Prue bared her teeth in a grimace. "I knew this wouldn't end well for me."

"Now, now, honey, someone has to lose," said Sunny, throwing her head back and laughing. "But we're only two moves into the battle, so don't be such a drama queen." She straightened up. "You could still turn this thing around." She smirked, and added in a darker voice, "But not likely."

"Use, uh...er," Prue stammered, looking like she was searching her memory banks for something. "Use...uh, Gust! Yeah! Use Gust! Now!"

"You've still got it," Sunny smirked, to Jessie's bewilderment. "But it not going to be enough. Stand your ground, Raticate!"

The Gust did manage to lift the Raticate up off the ground, but it landed on its feet once the onslaught of wind was over.

"Charge it!" yelled Sunny. "Use Hyper Fang!"

The Raticate rushed toward Pidgey, enormous teeth bared threateningly and glinting in the sun, and sprung up to attack the defending Pokemon as it hovered above the ground. The Pidgey dodged just in the nick of time.

Prue bet on its speed yet again. "Use Quick Attack, Pidgey!" she cried. But this time, although the bird Pokemon _was_ quick, Raticate was quicker, and avoided the attack by jumping into the air, doing a somersault, and, as soon as its feet struck the ground again, it was coming at the Pidgey once more.

"Swords Dance!" cried Sunny. "And then jump and go into Pursuit!"

The Raticate whirled around, spinning circles so numerous and so fast, that it was a blur as it moved. It rushed the Pidgey, its body crashing against the avian Pokemon's, knocking the Pidgey down into the dirt and leaving it struggling to stand again.

Once it, with obvious difficulty, got back up, Prue ordered her next attack.

"Pidgey! Fly!"

The bird Pokemon looked confused. It preened its feathers and cocked its head at her and then proceeded to just look around the yard.

"What?" Prue spat out, flummoxed. "What are you doing?! I didn't order you to stare into space, did I?"

"That Pidgey doesn't know Fly attack yet, Prue," Sunny informed her, nonchalantly picking dirt out from beneath her talon-like nails.

"What?" Prue gasped again. "What do you mean, it doesn't know how to fly?" Then, as though to contradict these words, the Pidgey suddenly got a gleam in its eye. It evidently had spied something in the yard that it found captivating. Jessie couldn't even begin to guess what that would be, until the bird Pokemon inexplicably started flying at top speed toward the clothesline, where Prue had hung up some bed sheets, straight from the wash.

The Pidgey clipped one end of the line with its beak, and the opposite end unraveled from the pole. The Pokemon dragged the clothesline away, the sheets rippling like banners in the breeze as the Pidgey flew off with them.

Prue swore and started chasing after the wayward bird. "I told you, Sunny!" she whined. "I told you this was a bad idea! Now this bird brain is taking off with the only sheets I have!"

In response, Sunny gave a one-shouldered shrug. "When dealing with Pokemon, it's your job to realize what stage they're at in life. What they're ready for. That's where success as a trainer comes from."

Prue paused in her pursuit of the Pidgey and looked at Sunny crossly. "What are you talking about? Who told you that? Nobody ever taught us that!" It was clear that she was nearly in a panic, watching Sunny's Pidgey zoom through the air in circles above the yard, the clothesline dangling from its beak.

The Pidgey was gradually flying higher and higher, its circles becoming wider and wider. Soon, it might vanish from the neighborhood altogether.

Strangely, though Sunny didn't seem too concerned. Prue heaved a sigh of frustration and looked at her guest despairingly. If she was expecting help, though, or even sympathy, she must have been disappointed by Sunny's reaction. Prue was forced to continue chasing the thieving bird-type Pokemon, but Sunny made no move to recover the sheets, or the Pidgey, even if it did belong to her.

"Now's your chance."

Jessie jumped a foot into the air when the voice in her ear startled her. She hadn't even heard Sunny approach. Confused by the woman's words, she turned and looked at the glamorous stranger.

"I can tell you don't want to be here. Prue tells me you've got the heart of an adventurer. Like my own dear daughter. Like me. Like your mother. But not like Prue. She's got such a timid heart, it's ridiculous." Her hands were resting on her hips, and one of them brushed open the blazer she was wearing, black-tipped fingers finding a Pokeball hooked to her belt. Sunny smirked. "You want to run away, don't you? I can see it in your eyes. Well, far be it for me to stop you."

Jessie had the unmistakable feeling that Sunny was somehow toying with her, and as she stood before the well-dressed and enigmatic woman, she felt paralyzed with fear. She didn't immediately take the Pokeball that Sunny offered.

"In fact, let me help you. Here's a Rattata. No need to thank me. It's a common Pokemon, and especially common around my house. You'll need a first Pokemon, though, if you're going to capture any others. Now hurry up. I'd be willing to be your things are already packed- that is, if you even _have_ any belongings _at all_." Her voice quivered with a sarcastic chuckle. "Run and get whatever you have to your name before Prue returns from rescuing her tatty old sheets. Run!" she urged. "Go! Get out of here!"

This didn't make any sense. Was this a set-up? Was Sunny just trying to get her in trouble with Prue?

"You can trust me," said Sunny with a smirk and a dismissive wave. She haughtily adjusted her glasses over her nose. "About this, at least. I don't like seeing plucky young women held back. Besides, having you out of this so-called house serves my own interests, I admit. Prue is no good to me when she has to stay home with a child."

Jessie was totally bewildered. She didn't fully comprehend all of this, but it was enough to convince her that she'd probably be allowed to leave. With one last lingering, searching look at Prue's mysterious guest, she turned and fled into the house.

It seemed as though everything in her mind had gone topsy-turvy. Her breathing, as she ran through to her room, sounded extra loud in her ears. It was hard to think, hard to fully appreciate what was happening. She just kept telling herself, over and over in her head, _Just get your stuff and get out, just get your stuff and get out, You're finally free from this place!_

 _The backpack, Jessie_ , she told herself. _Remember, even if you get caught, you had that good cover story!_

She was in such a hectic mood that, without thinking, she grabbed her soccer ball, too, and shoved it into her backpack.

When she tiptoed out the door again, carefully peering around to make certain Prue was still nowhere in sight, she discovered that not only was her foster mother gone from the yard, but Sunny had likewise disappeared.

Jessie spared only a couple of moments' thought about it before dashing away from the house, as fast as her legs would carry her.

At the end of the long street, Jessie couldn't stand the anticipation anymore and ducked behind some bushes. She had to meet her new Pokemon- her very first Pokemon- right away.

"Come on out, Rattata!"

The purple rodent Pokemon emerged from its ball. It growled its name and stared at her with wary eyes. Jessie kneeled and offered her hand, so as to let the creature sniff it. The Rattata took its time. It pointed its snout at her and narrowed its eyes. It didn't seem happy.

"C'mon, little darling," Jessie cooed. It really was a pretty cute little creature. She'd never been afraid of rodents, and so found its diminutive size and small rounded ears adorable.

However, baby talk and waiting gently tried her patience when they appeared to be getting zero results.

The Rattata crept perhaps one inch closer to her, then approached no further. It was growling under its breath, when Jessie didn't even know that mice _could_ growl.

"Well, this is a brilliant start," she muttered. "C'mon, Rattata, you're supposed to be my friend!" And, bored with holding her hand still and waiting for the Pokemon to come to her, she attempted to pet it, reaching out and aiming for the top of its head, intending to give it a little scratch.

The quick move startled, the Rattata, who snapped at her.

Jessie shrieked. "How dare you?!" She grabbed for its Pokeball, holding it in a clenched fist and grimacing.

 _This is the wrong Pokemon,_ shethought.

Jessie called Rattata back into its ball. She hadn't felt an instant bond with the creature, but surely that was no problem, right? Jessie was positive she'd heard that sometimes happened- a trainer and a Pokemon didn't immediately connect, but soon they became close-knit partners.

Calling Rattata back into its ball, Jessie told herself, despite her doubt, that this was the beginning of everything. She was free. She finally had her first Pokemon, and she was off on her Pokemon journey. She was _free_. Now there was nothing to stop her from shining like a star.

The moment didn't feel dramatic enough. She'd had her opportunity, so she'd taken it, but for some reason, this wasn't what she had pictured when she imagined running away. It would've been better to leave on her own terms this morning, the conflict with Prue fresh in her mind. It would've felt more like a relief to abandon the house where she'd been taunted about her dreams and about her mother.

Meeting Sunny, though, had changed things a little. Jessie had finally met somebody who was willing to talk about her parents- somebody connected with her foster family, so somebody she was unlikely to ever see again. This was also somebody who'd tainted her big moment of rebellion by being an adult who approved of it.

Jessie was grateful toward Sunny, and she was annoyed.

All she could think of was that she had followed somebody else's orders again.

All she could think was that she was running away from the answers she'd always craved.

Jessie reached the top of the highest hill in town and looked down at the Fords' house. It looked as shabby as ever. It was practically a shack. Its sorry condition was obvious even when it was partially obscured by the houses surrounding it- most of which were bigger, but only a little less rundown. She told herself that this was the last glimpse she would ever have of Frank and Prue's house, but somehow, in her heart, she had a hunch that it wasn't true.

She scolded herself for being ridiculous and shook her head as if to clear it, alternating running and swiftly walking as she made her way out of the town proper. Once the clusters of shops, houses, and other buildings cleared out, she realized she'd reached the edge of town, and she stopped to take a break on a dusty back road.

Jessie, winded, crouched in the dirt and sipped from her water bottle. Her backpack, still unzipped, slipped from her shoulder. As she took a long swallow from the bottle, water dribbling down her chin, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the hand-me-down soccer ball fall out of her backpack and roll a short ways down the road until it hit a fence and stopped.

It had rolled to the edge of somebody's property. Jessie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and got up to retrieve it. As she shuffled over, a voice called to her.

"Hey, is this your ball? Do you like soccer, too?"

A picturesque little house sat far back from a wide, green fenced-in yard. The person who'd spoken was a boy who was sitting on a tree stump behind the fence, some kind of sports magazine poised in his hands. He was maybe a couple of years older than Jessie, and he had messy brown hair and a friendly smile. He also happened to be the cutest boy Jessie had ever seen, and she immediately blushed and became tongue-tied. The boy was forced to repeat his question, as he got up and walked to the fence.

"Do you like soccer, too?"

"What? Me, play soccer?" Jessie scoffed at the idea. She played with this toy because she had nothing else, but nobody had ever accused Jessie of being a sporty person.

...But there was no reason that he had to know that, especially when he was _so cute_.

"Y- yes," Jessie responded, and walked toward the fence, too, stooping to collect her ball. "I- I absolutely...love it!" She smiled as big as she could so as to seem more convincing, and he mirrored her smile, his teeth gleaming enthusiastically at her. The beaming power behind that smile made him appear even more handsome to her, and she bashfully ducked her head a little.

"Cool! My name's Henry. Do you want to stay and play for a little while? Oh…" He pointed at the backpack hanging off her shoulder, apparently noticing it for the first time. "What's all that stuff? You look like you're going somewhere." He leaned against the fence and looked at her curiously.

"I...I am," she confirmed, wondering if she really _would_ like to stay and play soccer with this kid, even if she didn't particularly like sports. "And my name's Jessie, by the way."

She gazed around a bit and took in his surroundings on that opposite side of the fence: the smallish but comfortable-looking, well-kept house, smoke rising from the chimney and emphasising the cozy impression, and the rolling green lawn speckled with wildflowers and big, leafy trees leading up to it.

It was such a homey place. She wondered for the first time if it was hard for kids who came from places like this to leave on their Pokemon journeys.

"Where are you going?" He was still grinning broadly, and he pushed his tousled brown hair out of his eyes with the back of his arm. He was so effortlessly charming, it momentarily left Jessie speechless.

When she realized she'd gone too long without speaking, she flushed and immediately began to nervously splutter, "W-where am I- oh! Where am I go-going? W-well, ya see…" She didn't know how to answer that. She only knew that she wanted to get out of town; she had no destination in mind.

And then she remembered that she didn't have to give an answer more specific than, "I'm setting out on my Pokemon journey today!" Which she said full of pride and with a big smile on her face.

The boy called Henry's eyes widened. "Really? That's so cool. I'm no trainer myself, but I still really like Pokemon! My parents are actually Pokemon breeders."

"That's neat," Jessie replied, smiling, enjoying talking to this cute, friendly boy. She leaned on the fence separating them. "I'm going to be a great Pokemon trainer!"

"I'm sure you will be," said Henry, making Jessie blush. "Stop back and see me sometime and show me your Pokemon. Hey, what did you get for a starter, anyway?"

"A starter?" Jessie repeated.

"Yeah, like did you go see a professor and get a Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur? Or did your parents give you a Pokemon to start your adventure with?"

"Oh." Jessie reached down to her belt and ran her fingers along the outside of Rattata's Pokeball. "Um...a family friend. She gave me a Pokemon."

"So what kind is- " Henry's words cut off as a woman's voice could be heard, yelling across the fields.

" _Heeeennrrryyy!_ I need you to come and help your father and I with something? Where are you? _Heeeennrrryyy! Can you come here now, please?"_

"Well," said Henry, gazing back at the house behind him. "That's my mom calling me. I guess I'd better go. It was nice meeting you, Jessie."

The smile that had been plastered on her face practically since she started talking to Henry drooped and she felt more than a niggling of disappointment at him being called away. "Oh!" Caught unawares, she couldn't get her goodbye words out fast enough.

"S-same to you, Henry. I- I hope- " But then, she stopped talking, realizing that he'd already gone too far- leaping and bounding through the field back toward his house- to hear what she was saying.

Jessie's mood took a slight hit. That had been the most pleasant conversation she'd had with a kid her age in a long time. And he'd just so happened to be the dreamiest boy she'd ever seen. She kicked at a rock on the ground and frowned. If only she'd known that someone so nice and cute lived this close to town. If only they could've met sooner, then maybe- "

But no. She would have had to leave, regardless. Her destiny didn't lay around these parts. Her life wouldn't truly begin because she made friends with one boy. Her life would begin once she set out on the road toward greatness.

And with her goals reaffirmed, she turned and, putting one foot purposely in front of the other, properly began her journey as a Pokemon trainer.

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **A/N Part II: Trying to keep things as faithful to the show as my possible is what led me to not making Ekans Jessie's first Pokemon. This is because I chose to run with what she said in "Pokemon: Shipwreck!" about getting Ekans. And clearly, at that point in time, her last birthday wouldn't have been her tenth.**

 **Reviews are love!**


	3. Budding Friendship

_**Chapter Three: Budding Friendship**_

The sprawling green campus of Pokemon Tech lay in front of her, and the school's ornate iron gates were swinging shut behind her. Jessie was being ushered into a world she'd never known. She stood in awe on the walk up to the main building, whose proud, strong stones loomed over her, an edifice as magnificent as she wanted her future to be. Unfortunately, it also looked as intimidating as the road to that bright future seemed.

From where she stood now, Jessie didn't really have a plan for achieving her future success. The closest thing she had was Pokemon Technical Institute...and she didn't really know what she was going to do, now that she was here, if she was honest with herself.

Jessie reached a hand into the pocket of the secondhand blazer she was wearing and grasped the crumpled flyer for the school. She'd been carrying it around with her for more than half a year. Now, it seemed like her best option.

A gaggle of girls around her age brushed past her on the path. They were giggling and elbowing each other as they took turns glancing back at her. Two older boys also overtook Jessie on the walk up to the building, and they grinned over at the group of girls.

"Scholarship students," said one, indicating Jessie with a flounce of his head and giving a mocking smile.

Jessie flushed. "Spoiled rich brats!" she retorted, but they just kept walking, chuckling to themselves as they did so.

Embarrassed and angry, Jessie stayed immobilized on the sidewalk, squeezing her hands into tight fists while she closed her eyes and tried taking deep breaths to compose herself.

 _This is an exciting time!_ she told herself. _Exciting, not scary! You're going to prove yourself and get into school, and all your classmates will accept you before you know it, because...well, why wouldn't they? You're awesome!_

Jessie was unsure how well her little pep talk to herself had worked. She was hopeful she could make a life for herself here, but at the moment, she didn't feel awesome as much as she felt like a failure and permanent rookie trainer who'd yet to win a single gym match and whose own Rattata didn't even like her.

 _Stop that! That kind of thinking doesn't help anything! Now go and register to take the entrance exam!_

Jessie sighed and started moving forward again. It was then that she noticed a boy come running in her direction, arms piled high with books and papers. She also noticed that his shoelace was untied- before he did, unfortunately. Before she could give one word of warning, he discovered that it was untied by tripping over it, and consequently wiping out. Hard.

The boy gave a shout as his belongings went flying, scattering around him on the pavement. He appeared to hit the ground chin-first, making Jessie wince and give a hiss of sympathetic pain. However, the boy, a kid with spiky red hair, seemed to be more focused on whatever injury he'd given to his ankle. He immediately made a grab for it once he was sitting down, and gave a cry of pain. Jessie rushed forward to help him.

But before she knew what was going on, something cracked against her skull (probably another head), she felt the wind get knocked out of her, and then her butt hit the pavement.

"Owww!" she cried out. "Why don't you watch where you're going?!" But besides being annoyed, she was also on the brink of tears, and not from falling down. Falling down had hurt, yes, but she felt like her pride had taken a huge tumble just by her being here.

She hoped the moron who'd run into her didn't notice her looking emotional.

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed a gentler voice than she had expected. "I am so, so sorry. Here- let me help you up."

She then heard the voice speaking to somebody else. "Sorry," it said sheepishly. "I was racing to help you, but manners dictate that I assist the young lady to her feet first. Particularly, I think, since I was the one who knocked her over."

"Hmph," huffed Jessie, but she was glad that this clumsy boy was at least courteous enough to offer her a hand to get to her feet. "Thanks, I guess…" she murmured. She looked over, and he was in the process of standing up himself. The boy who'd been on the ground cradling his ankle was still on the ground, but he was gathering his papers and books back together and didn't seem to be badly hurt.

"No worries," said the redheaded boy in a scratchy but good-humored voice. "You didn't have to try and help me in the first place. I appreciate it, I do. Sorry for causing a pile-up on the walkway."

Now that he was attempting to stand, it was clear that he _had_ hurt himself. One leg twisted away as though protesting the weight he put on it, and his face crumpled.

By now, though, he had attracted the attention of more than just two people, and a group of guys over to the side of the pathway came running, winding his arms around their necks and helping him hobble along to find help.

"Take it easy there, pal."

"Ouch. You must've taken a wicked spill."

"C'mon, we'll get you to the nurse's office."

This left Jessie alone with the boy who knocked her down. He called after the boy being led away by the other kids.

"That's alright. That's what we get for being concerned citizens, I suppose. We didn't even get to help. In fact, I just made things worse. I bet I would have fallen, too, only I'm so hard-headed. Or so I'm told."

"Would you please stop talking about me like I'm not even here and help me up if that's what you're going to do!" Jessie shouted.

He turned to look at her. He had longish lavender hair that fell somewhere between his chin and shoulder, and bright green, concerned eyes.

He extended a hand. She took it. Their eyes locked.

He gasped, quickly let go of her hand, and she promptly fell backwards again.

"Hey!" Jessie shrieked. "What gives?!"

"Me?! How about you?! What are you- " The boy, who had been shouting as though in fright, cut off his words abruptly and then simply stared at her, seeming both transfixed and utterly confused.

 _He must be admiring me!_

Jessie blushed and averted her eyes self-consciously. _He's kind of cute…_ she thought to herself. He wasn't the type of boy she had ever noticed before, but something about his look made her belly squirm.

"I'm sorry," the boy said finally, seeming to snap out of his daze. "You startled me. You closely resemble...er, an... acquaintance."

There was something oddly formal about the way this kid spoke, but then, Jessie supposed a lot of these rich kids spoke that way.

"Can I trust you to help me up for real this time?" Jessie grumbled, holding out one hand while the other tugged on the hem of her uniform skirt to make certain it wasn't riding up too much.

"Um, yes!" the boy practically squeaked out and, grasped her hand in his again. He helped haul her to her feet, then stood there, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm James, by the way," he said. "I sincerely apologize for running into you."

Jessie noticed that his uniform looked brand new, not like the previously-worn ones being given out to students who couldn't afford to buy a new one, but "still needed to fit into Pokemon Tech", according to the lady in the office whom she'd spoken to yesterday. _._

"That's okay," said Jess, while smoothing out her somewhat stretched and faded uniform. "I'm Jessie."

James stared at her some more, the dumbstruck expression reappearing on his face. Jessie looked down and shuffled her feet.

 _He must really be smitten by me!_

"A pleasure to meet you," said James, after coming out of this latest daze. He cleared his throat. "Where are you off to?"

"I was on my way to the administrative building, to register to take the entrance exam and pick up my study guide." Jessie hesitated and then figured she might as well be completely honest. He'd probably guessed the truth about her already. "I'm hoping to get a scholarship here."

"Oh, yes, me, too!" James exclaimed, to Jessie's shock. "I just picked up my study things. I really hope I get in! Attending school here would really be a relief. I didn't have any idea where to go until…" He trailed off, and looked suddenly uncomfortable.

Jessie peered at him suspiciously. She wasn't sure what she was suspicious _of_ , but this kid was hiding something.

"Well...good luck," she said, and smiled at him. Jessie then took a step around him, prepared to go about her day. She was surprised when he placed a hand upon her shoulder. She looked at him curiously.

James blushed. "Er, I was wondering...I don't know anybody else here yet. So, how would you like to meet for lunch? How about…" He looked all the around the front lawn of Pokemon Technical. Finally, he pointed at a large tree with long, deeply-bowed branches that stood at the edge of the grounds.

"Over there by that tree! What do you say?" He sounded eager and bashful at the same time.

Jessie couldn't stop smiling. She'd never had a school friend ask her to join them for lunch before. She was at the age where she was just starting to notice boys, and while this preppy-looking, gentle-seeming James wasn't the type she usually looked at- rough-and-tumble with wild hair and mischievous eyes- he _was_ still cute. And, more than that, she needed a friend.

So, although she was taken aback by his sudden suggestion and her surprise showed through when she stuttered out her reply of, "Uh, oh, uh...sure!", Jessie was truly pleased.

James beamed. "Great! See you soon!" He waved at her and scampered off, and Jessie practically skipped to the administrative building.

* * *

Lunch rolled around, and ordinarily, Jessie would be more than ready for it. A good meal was usually hard to come by for her. Back at Frank and Prue's house, the food was simple and flavorless and the portions measly, while her time on the road, with few Pokemon victories under her belt and nobody to send her money for food and supplies, had seen her relying on the charity of Pokemon centers and the random kind fellow traveler for meals.

Plus, she had something extra to look forward to at lunchtime today, and that was meeting up with James, who seemed genuinely interested in becoming her friend.

However, these lunch plans, which had felt like the highlight of her day only hours before, were now causing Jessie to stress out in a major way as she stood before a full-length mirror in her dorm room, nervously playing with the ends of her hair ribbon. She tied and untied it numerous times from the thick streak of red hair she was growing out and had recently begun to carefully style.

The big bell in the bell tower on campus tolled, its loud ringing vibrating throughout the campus. Behind her, her new roommate sat on one of the twin beds in the room. Jessie had only said hello to her for the first time five minutes earlier and nothing since, so to say that they didn't quite know each other yet was an understatement. But her presence was starting to make Jessie anxious, too. She hadn't considered having to live with a roommate. She had no siblings, and the Fords had never fostered another kid at the same time as her. She'd never shared a room. She'd never even been invited to another child's house to play in their room.

"That bell means lunch is officially served. Are you going to head over to the dining hall?"

Jessie's roommate was talking to her. She seemed confused as to why Jessie had been staring into space in front of the mirror, fiddling with her ribbon, and gnawing on her lip for so long. Jessie blushed with embarrassment, not wanting to be seen as a weirdo.

"Yeah. Of course. I was just a little lost in thought."

Her roommate smiled, swinging her stocking legs back and forth before jumping down off the bed.

"There's a lot to think about, isn't there? It's a big deal to be going to this school. Sometimes...it feels like too big of a deal."

As Jessie watched the girl's reflection in the mirror, she noticed that her smile faded slightly as she drew to the end of that last sentence.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked, turning around.

The girl looked startled by the follow-up question and shrugged. She gestured toward the door, and she and Jessie began walking out of the room, Jessie still fretting with her outfit and hair ribbon.

"I…" the girl hesitated. She sighed and smiled softly. "My parents sent me here. It's a tradition in my family. I know it's a really good school- everyone respects you when you're a graduate of Pokemon Tech. But I don't know if I want to become a Pokemon master this way. Actually...even though I love Pokemon, I don't know if I want to become a Pokemon master at all!"

They were walking down the hallway of their dorm building now. Several kids were running along, going in the same direction as them, but it seemed like most students were already in the dining hall. That made sense, Jessie thought. Most students probably tried to get there before all the good food was taken.

"I...want to become a Pokemon master," said Jessie. "At least, I think I do."

Being a Pokemon master meant you were at the top of the totem pole as a trainer. It meant fame and fortune, and when Jessie was feeling low, dreaming of being the most successful at something, of having millions idolize her, and being able to afford fabulous clothes and a nice place to live made her smile and kept her going. She still loved Pokemon in general, but if she was going to get anywhere as a trainer, it would help if the Pokemon she already had loved her.

They exited their dorm building and walked along the courtyard to the building containing the school's dining hall.

"What's your name again?" asked Jessie's roommate, although Jessie didn't recall having ever mentioned her name to this girl.

"It's Jessie," she replied, looking over at her roommate. She had shoulder-length wavy green hair which she wore swept back with a headband. Her eyes were violet colored and she had a sweet expression. Like James, she wore a bright, fresh, and pressed uniform.

"What's your name?" Jessie asked, mentally adding, in a snotty internal voice, _you little prep._

Although, being a prep school student now herself, Jessie supposed she was a prep, too, which was an unbelievably weird thought to have.

"I'm Tyra," her roommate replied, and then something up ahead seemed to catch her eye. Or someone. Jessie realized that Tyra was looking at a group of older girls who were standing on the steps of the dining hall. Moments later, one of them looked over, and Tyra grinned and moved her arm back and forth in a great, big swooping wave.

"Heyyyy!" Tyra called over in an enthusiastic voice, and then shot Jessie an apologetic look. "Do you mind? I see someone I know."

 _Well, that's obvious,_ thought Jessie. _Guess we're not going to be friends, if you're going to ditch me to hang out with some cool, older girl._

"More than fine," Jessie said indifferently, and Tyra ran ahead of her to join the group on the steps.

 _We were going in the same direction, too, you brat,_ thought Jessie in annoyance, watching Tyra's legs pump up and down as she ran off and left Jessie in the dust.

Jessie, meanwhile picked up her pace, even though her nerves told her she still felt like procrastinating and pointlessly straightening her shabby outfit a hundred times.

But she didn't start hurrying along to catch up with her roommate and her friends; she sped up because she did, after all, have her own plans for lunch, and she didn't want to keep James waiting. Or the dining hall to run out of the good food.

As it turned out, when you went to a school as prestigious and expensive as Pokemon Tech, the good food never ran out. Even though Jessie was closer to the back half of the line than the front half, she still had her choice of dishes, which all looked and smelled amazing.

She carried her tray carefully down the steps of the dining hall and looked around for James. Even though it was a beautiful, mild, and sunny day outside, she almost wished they could've eaten inside today. The formal dining hall had been the most luxurious thing Jessie had seen in her life.

Jessie spotted James at the appointed place, beneath the shade of the tree with its canopy of sprawling branches. He'd laid out a picnic blanket for them, and was there with his food.

 _I am brilliant and beautiful,_ Jessie reminded herself. _I have no reason to be nervous. He's lucky to be having lunch with me!_

Of course, nobody had ever seemed to consider themselves lucky to hang out with Jessie before, but she mentally repeated over and over that she was now much more mature and sophisticated. She was well-traveled and an interesting person...even if her travels so far had been a tour of failure.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat and strode across the grass to meet James under the big tree.

He spotted her as she approached and stood up.

"Hi!" he greeted her excitedly.

"What's up?" she replied, cool and collected.

James gestured for her to sit down with him on the picnic blanket. "How's your day been going?" he asked. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Uh, thanks. My day's been...fine, I guess." Jessie looked to the center of the blanket, where a single red rose rested in a small vase. She knelt down on the blanket and leaned forward, delicately brushing her fingers against a rose petal. "Wow, and now we get to have our very own picnic. It's really cool you did all this. You even picked us a flower."

"I've always loved roses," said James, fork poised above the container of roasted potatoes he was about to dig into. "Back home, Mummy had an enormous rose garden, and she'd always let me be her little helper and assist her in tending to them."

 _Yeesh, this kid talks like a weenie,_ Jessie thought silently to herself. Then she thought of something else, and she decided to ask about it.

"Had? You mother _had_ a rose garden? So is she...you know, no longer with us?"

James looked taken aback, and Jessie felt a little guilty, wondering if she'd caused him pain by reminding him that his mother had passed away. He was silent and unblinking for several seconds, and Jessie was just about to apologize for being nosy, when James finally spoke up again.

"Oh! Yes. Yes, she is, I'm afraid. Her and my father, both gone." He glanced down sadly, his voice gone soft. "I am an orphan."

"That's too bad," Jessie frowned. She hesitated. She'd never touched somebody in friendship before. Never had a secret handshake with a bestie. Never been hugged by a friend, or put her arm around someone in a photo. But she placed a hand on James's shoulder and squeezed it in a show of compassion. "I'm sorry. I may as well be an orphan, too. My dad died years ago. I never even met him. And my mom disappeared when I was five."

"That's awful!" James exclaimed, placing his hand over hers, where it grasped his shoulder. He really did look sympathetic. "I'm so sorry, Jessie."

"Thanks," Jessie said, a little awkwardly. She slipped her hand out from under James's, and started eating her lunch entree, a piece of chicken glazed in a delicious, zesty sauce. She couldn't remember anyone ever sympathizing with her situation before. The closest thing she'd ever gotten to condolences were…

 _A hazy, half-forgotten memory floated back to her. She remembered standing in the rain. Someone was holding an umbrella over her. They were a faceless stranger, she couldn't picture them. Two cars pulled up to the curb. A man with dark hair in a dark suit got out of one and spoke to the person with the umbrella. Their exchange was lost to time, if Jessie had ever paid attention to what was said between them. She remembered feeling incredibly sad and incredibly small. She_ _ **was**_ _incredibly small. The black-haired man crouched down before her._

 _"Is this her?" he asked._

 _The person with the umbrella said, " Yes, sir."_

 _The man put a hand on her shoulder. Jessie couldn't remember the features of his face, but she recalled him looking grave._

 _"A terrible accident. It never should have happened. I'm sorry."_

"Jessie?" a timid, youthfully male voice brought her back to the present. "Pardon me, but you seemed to be drifting away in thought. You looked rather...troubled."

"And why shouldn't I?" snapped Jessie, without thinking. James recoiled, and she instantly felt shamed.

It was the stress. It was the stress of being in a new place, feeling pressured to perform well not only as a student, but as part of this kind of society. But she couldn't already be cracking under that pressure already, could she?

"I'm sorry," she muttered, looking down at her food. "My fost- I mean, I recently spent a long time living with these people who criticized me for getting lost in daydreams. I would always get in trouble if I seemed like I had my head up in the clouds."

James frowned. "That seems quite mean."

Jessie nodded in agreement. "They weren't very nice people." But she knew something that looked very nice, indeed. Sitting on her tray of gourmet food from the dining hall was a fat piece of chocolate cake that looked positively delectable. She didn't think she'd ever seen anything look so yummy before, and without further thought, she grabbed hold of it in her bare hand and took a giant bite.

Her lunch companion immediately broke into giggles. She swallowed her mouthful of cake and looked at him to find out just what was so amusing and discovered him staring at her slack-jawed.

"You- you ate your dessert first! Barehanded!"

Jessie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? And?" _He's laughing at you_. _You've mistepped_. _Pauper. Raggamuffin. You've heard it from Frank and Prue. You've heard it up from the kids at school. Now this James has noticed there's something weird about you. And if a fellow scholarship student notices it...just think about how much worse it'll be when the rich kids do!_

Looking around the courtyard, she noticed that the group of girls she'd encountered earlier in the day, who had laughed at the boy who'd sneered at her scholarship-seeking status. They were sitting around a picnic table, in a huddle, flipping their hair and laughing their upper-crust laughter.

"It's just…" James hesitated, seemingly choosing his words with care. "My parents were very strict about manners. It's... _so_ _cool_ that I can just eat cake now, and I don't have to worry about how!" And with that, he eagerly snatched his piece of cake off his plate with both bare hands, crumbs and dripping frosting sliding in between his fingers, and bit into it like he was suddenly starving, devouring the cake in two bites before looking up at her with a gooey smile and chocolate all around his mouth.

* * *

"So do you have a Pokemon already?" James asked her, as they walked to class together.

Jessie was silent for a moment. She was reluctant to answer the question, for which she felt guilty. She should be proud to talk about her Pokemon, and surely her Pokemon deserved someone to talk about it in an excited and loving voice, but she and Rattata had just never developed much of a bond.

"Yeah," Jessie said. "A Rattata."

"Really? A Rattata, huh? Did you catch it yourself? Or was it a gift? And is that the only Pokemon you have so far?"

"It was a gift. From a family friend, I guess you could say." She'd told this story so many times before. "And yeah, it's my only Pokemon. For now."

They had just reached their classroom door when the bell marking them late for class sounded, and James winced.

"Uh, oh, late for class," he moaned, his hand trembling as he placed it on the handle. "Just my luck."

Jessie was surprised by the extent of his nervousness. "And mine. I was often late for class back home, but don't worry; they never give you more than a slap on the wrist." Sometimes that meant having to eat her next lunch in the principal's office, but that had never been much of a punishment for someone who never had any friends to sit with, anyway.

James appeared somewhat scandalized by her reveal. "You actually made a habit out of being late for class? You weren't worried about getting in trouble?"

Jessie had to pause and look at him with her head tipped sideways. It was strange, how the smallest act of rebellion against the established order of things impressed him. She smiled slyly.

"Trouble? Trouble will come no matter what you do. Me, I'm always just prepared for it."

She placed her hand over James's and together they turned the doorknob and entered the room.

The teacher, plus all the students at their desks, looked up at Jessie and James as they made their way inside the classroom.

The teacher cleared his throat.

"Ahem, hem," he said. "Well. Being as this is the start of the school year, I do believe I can grant _some_ leniency toward stragglers making their way to class late. But _only_ because this is the start of the school year. Let's just say you two got lost today, and that's why you're late. But I'm not going to believe you losing your way every day, is that understood?"

James answered for the both of them.

"Oh, y-yes, sir, s-s-sorry, won't happen again," he replied hurriedly, blushing hugely and offering a slight bow. He and Jessie simultaneously spotted a free desk just in front of them, but every desk surrounding it was already taken. Jessie, used to sitting by herself, shrugged and sat. She smiled up apologetically as he slunk off to search for another desk.

James had a bit of trouble finding it, possibly because he was looking down at his feet the whole time and stopped to murmur "excuse me" to the other students whenever he had to walk in front of their desks. Finally, the teacher apparently grew tired of watching him bumble around and pointed out a free desk on the far side of the room.

"Alright, class," the teacher announced, once James had found his seat. "As I was saying, I'm Mr. Keen, and today we're going to be talking about the Kanto region starters available at the research lab of the famed Professor Oak of Pallet Town, and their evolutions."

"Typical first day stuff," said a boy near the front of the class. He had slicked-back pale blond hair and an even slicker sneer in his voice.

Next to him, a girl with thick brown curls had her compact out and was applying lip gloss. "Common knowledge," she agreed.

"Well, if you think so," said Mr. Keen, "you can lead the class. Why don't you come on up?" He gestured for them to stand up and join him at the front of the classroom.

The boy and girl looked at each other, apparently slightly doubtful, but then both smirked and followed the teacher's instructions.

"Please," said Mr. Keen, handing a piece of chalk to each. "Tell us your names."

"My name is Sterling," said the blond-haired boy. "And my family's been going to Pokemon Tech for five generations."

"Hey! What a coincidence! Mine, too!" exclaimed the girl, while making goo-goo eyes at him. "My name is Calliope. My older sister, Anastasia, and when my younger sister, Giselle, gets old enough, she'll be attending Pokemon Tech, too."

"Wonderful," said Mr. Keen, in a type of voice where you couldn't tell if he was being sincere or not. "Well, Sterling, what I would like _you_ to do is list the starter Pokemon that Professor Oak gives out to beginning Pokemon trainers, and _you_ , Calliope, to write down what type each of them is."

"Piece of cake," declared Sterling, and set about writing. He wrote three names on the chalkboard, and under each of them, Calliope scribbled down a Pokemon type.

"Thank you," Mr. Keen said with a nod, and examined what had been written. "Yes, yes. Good job, you two. You've correctly listed the three starter Pokemon traditionally given out by Professor Oak, plus their individual types. You may sit down."

"You want to hear about something difficult," said Calliope to the girl sitting on her left as Sterling took his seat to her right. She was whispering, but not too quietly. Sitting two rows behind her, Jessie still heard. "Let me tell you about the auditions the school's holding for their upcoming dance show." Calliope fluffed and tossed her hair. "I mean, not difficult _for_ _me_ , though. I'm a sensational dancer."

"So now what we're going to do," Mr. Keen told the class, "is go around the room, and when it's your turn, you will name either a grass, fire, or water type Pokemon. You- !" He pointed to a girl in the front room on the opposite side of the room. "You will name a Grass type. The person behind you will name a Fire type. And the person behind them will name a Water type. And so on. When we get to the final person in a row, the student to their left will pick up where they left off. Okay? Go!"

One by one, Jessie's classmates started naming Pokemon. Jessie found herself becoming increasingly nervous. She was afraid that before her turn arrived, all the Pokemon she knew would already be listed. She didn't know that many Pokemon; nobody had ever given her a Pokedex, after all, and she'd never had the extra money to buy any kind of guide to all the different Pokemon in the world.

James knew a Pokemon to say when it was his turn. He had to name a Fire type, and he piped right up with the answer of, "Growlithe," a Pokemon Jessie had never heard of before.

When the question train finally made its way around to her, Jessie had been nervously jiggling her leg for awhile. She was supposed to name a Water type, but none was coming to her. Filled with apprehension, she opened her mouth and heard her heart pounding in her ears.

 _Can you think of a blue one, Jess? Just think of a blue one!_ she pleaded with herself. _That's probably a Water type!_

"Uh, um...a Water type?" She was stalling for time.

"Yes, a Water type," Mr. Keen confirmed, nodding his head.

 _Don't choke, don't choke, don't choke!_ Jessie silently begged herself. _A blue one, a blue one, a blue one..._

 _Don't...choke…a blue one...blue….you're gonna choke...blue…_

"Uh, uh, a...Machoke!" she suddenly blurted out, sounding more confident than she felt in her answer, because really, at that point, she was relieved just to come up with a Pokemon's name at all.

There were titters all around the classroom as Mr. Keen shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid that's wrong… What's your name?"

Jessie didn't want to own her mistake by admitting her name, but, as she slid down self-consciously in her seat, shoulders hunched up to hide her blushing cheeks, she also knew she didn't really have a choice, either.

"Jessie," she replied, just loud enough to hear.

"Jessie. Machoke, and its pre-evolutionary form, Machop, as well as its post-evolutionary form, Machamp, are all Fighting type Pokemon."

"Obviously," snickered the girl called Calliope.

Jessie caught the smirks as she looked around and instantly despised everyone in her class. These prepster kids were all so smug and self-satisfied. Not to mention judgemental. Jessie just knew that they all now thought she was dumb, just because she had answered one question incorrectly.

The mocking smiles on the faces of Calliope and her gal pal were the worst.

"But to _start_ with, we were talking about _starter_ Pokemon," said Mr. Keen, chuckling at his own joke. "And that is what today's lesson is. I have a printout for you all to look at." He went to his desk to retrieve a stack of papers.

Jessie noticed Calliope and her female friend looking back at her.

"Did you notice her uniform? A loaner from the administrative office," said the friend.

"Looks like they gave her the worst old rags they had lying around," sneered Calliope, and both girls made eye contact with Jessie. It was then that Jessie realized their whispers were intentionally too loud. They _wanted_ her to hear them.

Jessie's blood boiled in anger and humiliation. _I can't believe this is happening again! I'm looked down on wherever I go!_

It seemed like Mr. Keen might have heard their remarks, too, because he gave Calliope and her friend stern looks when he turned back around and started passing out the printouts.

What he didn't notice was a paper airplane soaring through the air and landing smack dab on Jessie's desk.

Jessie blinked at it in surprise, then swiftly covered it with her hands to hide it from view, and, after Mr. Keen had passed by her desk, brought it down low, underneath her desk, before she unfolded the paper from its airplane shape.

Before reading it, Jessie cast her gaze around the room. She thought she sensed someone looking at her, and quickly turned her head toward the eyes that she felt on her. Jessie found James watching her. He wore a very small smile. It wasn't a taunting and superior smile, though; it was pure kindness.

Jessie looked back at the paper in her hands. She was somewhat surprised that James could make such a good paper airplane and aim it so well. He didn't look like the type who was used to sending secret notes around the room. Nothing about James said 'bad boy'.

But what was written on the piece of paper was even better than the shape it had been folded into, or how well it flew.

 _Don't listen to them. It was a good guess. And look at how ugly that girl's barrette is. What does she know about anything?_

Jessie took the note's advice and looked at the hair ornament that Calliope was wearing. It was huge, and a putrid shade of green, with way too many streamer hanging down her back. She couldn't help but giggle. She glanced back over at James, and the two exchanged a private grin. She didn't know that Calliope and her equally-mean friend had spoken so loudly that even James could hear from his faraway corner, but she was glad that they had.

 _Paper airplane skills_ _ **and**_ _fashion knowledge? This boy is just full of surprises…_

 _ **To be continued...**_


	4. Rebels Part I

**Author's Note: While I'm proud of myself that I** **didn't** **make that promise awhile back to be faster with the updates, that pales in comparison to how embarrassed I am about taking so long getting this chapter up. I was taking on more responsibility at work (I've since left that job, which was a bittersweet thing to do), I've been planning a wedding (a nightmare- I borderline hate being engaged, it's only fun for a couple of weeks), and have just in general been going through a dry spell, creatively. So, I'm sorry guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you feel moved to do so, send out those reviews, and also prayers for me to get over being so creatively unproductive. :P**

 **Rebels Part I**

It was the weekend, and by the time Jessie awoke, the clock on the wall read twelve o'clock noon. As she was yawning and stretching herself awake, she noticed her roommate watching her wake up.

Tyra was sitting fully dressed on her own bed, cross-legged with an assortment of books and notebooks spread out before her.

Jessie felt like she would never get used to somebody seeing her first thing in the morning. As if she didn't feel like enough of a slob, anyway, compared to these impeccably styled rich kids. Now every morning, one of them saw her with bedhead and a dingy nightgown.

She pulled the covers up high and eyed her roommate skeptically.

"Studying on a Saturday?"

"We have less than a week until the entrance exams," Tyra said with a shrug. "I wanna get a good score."

At Pokemon Tech, all prospective students got to attend two weeks of classes for free while they prepared to take the entrance exams. If they scored high enough on those entrance exams, and were in need of financial aid, they received a full-ride scholarship to the school for one year, after which they were required to take another test to receive a scholarship for the next year. And on and on until they graduated

Jessie was planning on being an excellent student...eventually. So far her teachers were only teaching her rudimentary information that could be found in any basic Pokemon field guide, so if she wasn't totally attentive in all of her classes, she cut herself some slack for it. Whenever she decided to study, she planned on being able to pick up all the easy stuff in no time flat. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy herself as much as she could and learn how to live in this upper crust environment.

"But you're not a scholarship student," said Jessie, confused, watching Tyra become completely absorbed with studying and not even look up from her books. Jessie quickly threw off the covers and slid out of bed, sidling over to the closet and scuttling inside it.

Jessie threw on her secondhand uniform as her roommate explained.

"I don't think that really matters. Even if I have a guaranteed spot at this school, I don't want to feel like I don't deserve it. What does it mean if I graduate only knowing the bare minimum? If I don't do my best to learn all the Pokemon Tech has to teach me, I wasted an education that not everybody has the opportunity to get."

Finishing putting herself together, Jessie exited the closet and brushed her outfit off in front of the full-length mirror.

"So you want the bragging rights of a good score. Got it."

Jessie didn't know if she expected Tyra to get upset at her for calling her out about her true motives, but regardless, that wasn't what she got. Instead, Tyra just looked slightly surprised, before smiling softly, as though she found Jessie amusing.

"If that's how you want to put it," she grinned. "I can help you get those bragging rights, too. Come over here and study with me." She patted a spot beside her on the bed.

Jessie shook her head. "What, and skip lunch? Are you crazy? I mean, thanks for the offer." It really was nice that Tyra apparently wanted to hang out. She'd felt slighted by the girl before, when they'd been walking to the dining hall on the first day of school. But it might be worth getting over- it might be fun to have a gal pal to spend time with, someone who liked talking about clothes and boys and makeup and other girly stuff. And it could only help to start befriending rich kids at this school as soon as possible.

"Um, aren't those dance show auditions tonight?" Jessie asked somewhat nervously on her way to the door.

Tyra raised her violet eyes from her textbook and replied, "Oh...yeah! I almost forgot those were happening… It's not really my thing, but I think you're right."

Jessie's hopes deflated slightly, and she muttered, "Oh," softly under her breath, and put her hand on the doorknob. However, at the last second, she changed her mind and decided to plunge ahead with her plan, anyway.

"Well, if it wouldn't, like, be too boring for you...maybe you'd wanna go with me later to check them out? I was kinda planning on going."

Her roommate hesitated. Then, suddenly, beamed out a smile.

"Sure! I'll have studied enough for the day by then. Meet you back here a little before seven this evening?"

"Sounds great," Jessie smiled in returned, and gave Tyra a brief wave on her way out the door.

 _Yes! Victory! I actually have plans with one of these preppy kids!_

* * *

Well, actually, it was more like, _I actually have plans with one of these preppy kids_ _ **again**_ _._

She had lunch with that James kid on her first day, after all, but ever since then, although she'd seen him in a couple of classes, they'd never arranged to meet up a second time. Maybe they were both too shy to suggest hanging out again, or maybe James was a nerd like Tyra and had been studying this whole time, too. In any case, it had only been the rest of that schoolweek, but Jessie was a little surprised that they hadn't spent any time together except for in class.

Jessie didn't see him in the dining hall that day, either, and after she finished eating her gourmet meal, she was at a loss for what to do until dinner. Since she hadn't been to the school's library yet, she thought, with half-hearted enthusiasm, that she might as well go check it out.

While it wasn't a surprise by now that Pokemon Tech would have the most opulent of everything, Jessie still had to stop and marvel at what was in front of her as soon as she walked through the door. She wasn't exactly a bookish person, but there were _so many books_ , shelf after towering shelf and aisles and aisles of them. And of course the carpet was plush and luxurious, and of course the furniture looked like it was designed for optimal style and comfort. What's more, the library was absolutely _gigantic_ , even bigger than the school's dining hall. This was just one room in Pokemon Tech, and it was at least five times as big as the house Jessie had lived in with the Fords.

Once she stopped gawking, Jessie realized that she'd have to actually _do_ something now that she was at the library, not just stand in the doorway.

 _I should look for a book, I suppose._

Jessie stepped further into the library, lifting her chin into the air when she noticed a group of students that was assembled on a sofa near the door and staring at her, looking variously bemused and smirky about her presence.

Either her shabby uniform continued to be an object of interest, or they were entertained by how obviously impressed she was by the library. She reminded herself that she shouldn't stop and stare at things like that; it would only hammer home how different she was from these kids, if she didn't act like she was used to being surrounded by wealth and privilege.

She smirked right on back at the group and proceeded down a row of books, unsure what she was searching for, but just enjoying exploring, for the time being. Her fingers traced the spines of the books she passed and as her feet wandered, so did her mind.

Jessie daydreamed until she rounded a particular corner and came across a sitting area where two students sat reading side by side, their Pokemon at their feet. It was such a picture perfect scene. Both little catlike Pokemon had their heads resting on their trainer's feet, and every so often, the students would look down at the cream-colored-and-golden-charmed creatures with a smile.

 _Books on training Pokemon…_

Suddenly having something to hunt for, Jessie headed for the help desk and asked where she could find such books. Seeing those trainers had made her think of her relationship with Rattata, something which had been a sore spot with her almost from the beginning.

Although Rattata wouldn't downright refuse to battle for her, it had a distant attitude whenever she tried to interact with it. It disliked being petted and Jessie still hadn't had much luck trying to befriend it, even with how long they'd been together. At least it wouldn't bite her unless it was really angry. Of course, when it _was_ really angry, that made Jessie angry, too. Jessie also got angry when Rattata occasionally decided _it_ knew better than her what move to use in battle.

The librarian pointed her in the right direction and Jessie headed over to the group of books she needed. Humming happily to herself, she read the titles along the spines of the books, looking for one that jumped out at her. There were so many choices! One of these books would help her, for sure.

 _The Bonds of Friendship and Pokemon Battles_ , by Professor Samuel Oak was at the top of the bookcase, and sounded like a good option. Jessie stood up on her tiptoes and reached for it, only to suddenly see it spiraling toward her nose. Jessie shrieked and covered her face, and the book bounced off her head and landed on the floor.

"Oh!" exclaimed a familiar voice. "Oh! Bother! I'm so clumsy! I'm so, so sorry, Jessie…"

"Are you just determined to give me a concussion or something, James?" Jessie groaned, but she was smiling slightly. She was really pleased to have run into him...and at least a bit less literally this time. The book had hurt less than his hard head.

"At least it's a paperback?" asked James, smiling weakly. He bent down to pick up the book and then handed it to Jessie. "Here."

"Were you after it, too?" asked Jessie, accepting the book.

James nodded. "I figured I could use it...whenever I get a Pokemon, that is. I take it they'll be teaching us how to capture them soon. I don't really know much about training them. You see, I had Pokemon back home, but we treated them more like pets. My Growlithe, especially."

Jessie wanted to ask why James hadn't taken any of these Pokemon with him to Pokemon Tech, but opted for keeping her mouth shut. At the end of the day, she wouldn't want someone prying into _her_ life. There were all sorts of things about her past she wasn't comfortable telling to other people, and maybe James was the same way. Especially if they were painful memories. He'd said his parents had passed away. What if they died in a tragic house fire? One that had destroyed everything in its wake, leaving James with no place to call home, and maybe even no more Pokemon to…

It was an incredibly sad train of thought, so Jessie distracted herself.

"Well, my Rattata- "

Just then, the school librarian popped her head around the corner and shushed them rather loudly.

"You'll have to keep it down over here, please, or I'm afraid I'll have to ask you both to leave. Young lady, I don't know what you were shrieking about, but I can assure you it was uncalled, and right now, the volume of both your voices is much too loud for the library," she whispered at them violently.

"Can I check out this book before we go?" asked Jessie, grinning sheepishly at the woman while holding out _The_ _Bonds of Friendship and Pokemon Battles_.

* * *

"We'll share the book," Jessie announced, as the two climbed the steps to the school auditorium. "We can read it in here and talk at the same time."

"What's in here?" James asked curiously. They ventured inside the building, and Jessie stabbed her finger at a sign taped to the wall of the hallway they'd just entered.

 _Stories Through Dance! Pokemon Tech Dance Show!_ the sign read.

"Auditions are tonight," said Jessie. "I'm coming back here with my roommate then. But I want to see what they've gotten ready so far."

"Coming back with your roommate?" James asked, the two of them strolling down the hall together, looking around and taking in their surroundings. So far, this was the least impressive part of the campus that Jessie had seen. It had white walls and plain tiled floors and some boring-looking offices that were visible beyond some of the cracked-open doors lining the hallway. In general, there was just a functional, sterile feel to this building, so far.

Jessie nodded. "Her name's Tyra. Do you want to come with us, too?"

"Are you planning on auditioning for this show?" James asked, prompting Jessie to reflexively slow her steps and look away, her cheeks growing slightly warm. She hesitated, then reluctantly admitted,

"Well...I was thinking about it. But that was going to be a surprise."

For Jessie, there had been no piano lessons or summer camp, but as a poor foster kid whose guardians only cared about her a miniscule amount if at all, there was, miraculously, _one_ hobby she'd been permitted. Because Prue had wanted to be a dancer before she married Frank.

Jessie discovered this accidently one day when she was eight years old, and she happened to find a box of Prue's old things, which included some old instructional videos of dance routines, a costume or two, and books on the subject of dancing. Prue found her looking at these things, and normally, Jessie would've gotten chewed out for snooping. However, on this occasion...Prue had just gotten a strange look in her eye, half gleam and half sadness. For once, Jessie wasn't punished for her curiosity. Dancing was, apparently, something Prue was eager to talk about. It was something she encouraged Jessie to love, too.

There was a time when Jessie was obsessed with practicing flamenco and modern dance, which were the two videos Prue owned, before they had to sell the T.V. She'd gotten quite good, if she said so herself. She still practiced, on occasion. Not just the routines she remembered, either; when she arrived in a new city, she liked to see if there was a dance studio that offered their first class for free, and very often, there was.

"A surprise?" James smiled. "Oh. You must be very good, then. You want to shock and awe everyone with your skills."

"Um, I guess," Jessie mumbled, looking down at her shoes. They reached the end of the hallway, and it split off in two different directions. To the right was another corridor with office doors going all the way down until it ended with a staircase. To the left was a much shorter hallway that led to a very large set of doors painted bright red and edged in gold.

Jessie looked up at them and gathered her confidence. "And I'm still going to do that, because I _am_ a great dancer!" She pushed open a door and she and James emerged into Pokemon Tech's auditorium.

James cleared his throat and offered softly, "I took quite a few years of ballet before… Well. _Before_ …" He trailed off, but Jessie was barely listening to him anymore, anyway.

Naturally, the theater was another opulent room. But while the stage was very large and the seats looked like the kind Jessie imagined you'd see at the opera (almost too luxurious for students, in her opinion) and the curtains were the heaviest-looking velvet she'd ever seen...simply being in any place meant for the glorious act of performing was enough to put stars in her eyes.

They weren't alone in the theater. Some students were up on the stage in leotards and leg warmers, rehearsing. Music played out of a boom box.

"We'd better sit in the back," advised James, "so we're not too distracted while we're studying."

This was sound logic, but it wasn't an idea Jessie was particularly interested in.

"Oh, we'll get our reading done," she reassured him, not taking her eyes off the stage as she chose a seat only a few rows away from it. "Don't worry. Studying is always going to be there. But _this_ is a limited time engagement!"

James sat down next to her. "But I really want to read this book so I can know how to connect with my next Pokemon! I really need to catch one- some of the other boys are already making fun of me for not having one. Besides, reading this book is already something we're doing for our own personal enjoyment. It's not on the list of books we should read before attempting our entrance exams."

Jessie exhaled slowly and audibly through her nose and gave him an annoyed look. James could sure be whiny, couldn't he?

Still, he was her friend.

"If they're making fun of you, just sock 'em in the mouth," see said. "Or I will. James, c'mon. You seem like a smart guy. I'm sure you can learn whatever you want, whenever you want."

James blushed. "Jessie, I don't mean to be l-lame, I was just really looking forward to reading this book. I can put it off, though, I do love all the performing arts. If you'd rather watch these people practicing for awhile- " He gestured at the stage.

It wasn't just people practicing, actually. A couple of students had actually brought out their own Pokemon, who were dancing alongside them. There was a green creature with what looked like blades for arms, and a brown Pokemon that seemed to like to kick a lot. There was even a little pinkish purple catlike Pokemon that hopped and bounded around excitedly, frolicking more than dancing.

There sure were a lot of cats at this school…

Jessie didn't realize she'd been holding her breath. She let it out with a little _whoosh_ , leaning forward on her seat, hands clasped on her knees, wringing each other almost painfully.

"I…just want want to know my competition"

Honestly, the competition looked stiff. Jessie was talented, true, but she didn't have the formal training these kids doubtlessly did.

She noticed that Calliope was one of the kids practicing up on stage, in a real, honest-to-goodness dance outfit with sparkles all over it. Jessie had never had a real dance outfit before. The little catlike Pokemon appeared to be hers, too. Jessie watched as Calliope stopped prancing about long enough to pat it on the head.

"A Skitty," said James from beside her, sounding oddly glum about it. "The height of Pokemon fashion."

Although there was no way that Calliope could've heard them talking about her, that's what it seemed like when she quit petting the Skitty and looked out into the crowd. Her eyes landed on Jessie and James. For a long moment, the three just stared at each other. Then, a look of displeasure appeared on the rich girl's face and she abruptly stood up, startling the Skitty that had been rubbing against her leg.

Jessie watched as Calliope gestured to some other kids, who, after a moment of confusion, brought over a microphone. Calliope snatched it eagerly, and pointed out into the auditorium seats.

"It seems we have an uninvited audience! What an ill-bred thing to do, to spy on people getting ready for a big show!"

While James simply looked taken aback by the strange, out-of-nowhere criticism, Jessie was rather irritated. This little brat had already proven herself to have a snooty attitude while in class and now she dared to challenge Jessie's right to simply sit in the school's theater? It was girls like her who made Jessie feel like she was being blamed just for existing. And Jessie had had enough.

"Not spying, just observing. There's a difference, you dope!" she snapped standing up out of her seat. "Although, I understand if you look so pathetic performing that you're embarrassed to have people watch you!"

Anger flared to life in Calliope's eyes and she gave her hair an aggressive flip and planted her hand on her hip. "I'm not embarrassed at all! All eyes are going to be on me when I land the lead role in this production, and that's the way I want it!"

"Oh, yeah?" Jessie returned. "Well, is that the way everyone else wants it? Who elected you Queen B, anyway?"

Calliope batted a hand at her dismissively, while her Skitty's tale bobbed up and down in a similar motion. "This is an elite school, honey, and it deserves a first class dancer headlining its show. Everyone here is used to the best of the best, after all. Well...not you, obviously." She erupted into gales of laughter while her evident cronies snickered all around her.

Jessie gave the stuck-up little brat a death glare and stomped out of the theater without another word. She could hear James calling behind her, but she didn't slow down and wait for him. The heavy door banged loudly shut behind her as she emerged back into the hallway. Her eyes immediately fell upon a boy standing a few feet away, in front of the drinking fountain.

It was that blond boy, Sterling, that she had in a couple of her classes. He had an extra-posh attitude, even for the kids of this school, and that was probably why Calliope seemed to have a crush on him.

He turned and stared at the commotion Jessie had made leaving the theater. Jessie had thought she'd seen him up on stage, too, before Calliope had called out Jessie and James for observing the practicing dancers. He must have slipped out to get a drink.

"You better get in there, your girlfriend's having an attitude problem," Jessie informed the gawking Sterling.

The boy raised eyebrow and looked equal parts annoyed and embarrassed. "What are you talking about? _Who_ are you talking about?"

Jessie shook her head. "Never mind," she mumbled. What was she trying to do, tell on Calliope? Nobody here would care that she'd been beyond rude to Little-Miss-Nobody-Scholarship-Student. Calliope flaunted being mean.

However, if Jessie's aim had been to embarrass one of these smug kids, she had apparently succeeded. Sterling continued to look self-conscious, and he hesitated and had to clear his throat before speaking again. And when he did, he spoke in a rushed voice that was a little too forceful.

"If you're talking about Calliope, she's _not_ my girlfriend! Everyone likes to make that same old joke just because we talk to each other in class sometimes, but I don't like her like that!"

Boys were all the same, weren't they? Every single one this age became mortified at the suggestion of romance. Except, well, maybe a gentle boy like James wouldn't. He was so good with girls. _There_ was a boy who would be very mature about relationships, if Jessie was interested.

Speaking of…

Jessie turned around and found him standing there quietly, that book still tucked under his arm.

Sterling noticed James, too.

"I've been meaning to speak to you," he said, his eyes on James. "I wanted to tell you that you seem familiar to me."

James looked startled, his eyes appearing somewhat larger than usual. "W-well, y-yes, I believe that we have several classes together. How's it going?"

Sterling nodded. "Fine, but that's not what I meant. The first time I saw you in class, you looked familiar. I must have seen you and your family at some kind of event. Did you and your parents go on a cruise recently? Or… I know! Maybe attend a charity auction close to Fuschia City?"

Jessie watched James and it seemed as if they would need a crane to pick his jaw up off the floor, as low as it had seemed to drop. James fumbled with the book for no reason and dropped it. "No! No! Absolutely not! It couldn't have been! Sorry! Nuh uh! Not I! I must just have one of those faces!"

"Yeah…" Sterling said slowly, deadpan. "And one of those hairstyles."

Jessie was puzzled by James's odd nervous behavior, and she would have thought about it more, but Sterling was now speaking to her.

"So...Jessie, right? You're auditioning for the big dance show?"

Jessie felt a heat entering her cheeks, and suddenly she wanted to deny Sterling's suggestion. She didn't know why. Not even twenty minutes ago, she'd been all too eager to prove herself, take the spotlight and earn some respect at this school. But watching the other kids practice and her confrontation with Calliope had seemingly shaken something inside her. It made Jessie burn with resentment. She wanted to feel like she could do something these rich kids could do, damnit! But… but…

There was something else, too. Sure, this Sterling spoke in a rather bland, above-it-all voice, but his looks weren't entirely unfriendly. He seemed like he really wanted to have a conversation with Jessie. His expression was heavy-lidded and earnest. She had never seen a boy that age seem so confident and composed before. Not to mention, his platinum hair looked so...shiny and...rich…

James was looking at her peculiarly, so Jessie figured she'd remained silent for too long. She blushed and spluttered a little in her answer, still not wholly certain what she was going to say.

"I…I… sort of! I mean, I- I'm not _really_ a dancer, but it's something I play around with." She tried to get him to lower any expectations he might have, so she didn't disappoint, later. That's if she even went through with the audition.

"Jessie's just being modest," James chimed in just then, unwelcomely. Jessie cringed a little. "She happens to be a very talented dancer." He smiled at Jessie who just giggled nervously.

"Is that so?" Sterling crossed his arms over his chest and faced her with a cocky grin. "Well, in that case, I can't wait to see what you've got in store for us tonight. I'm trying out for the male lead. That's why I've got my sweats on today. I only wear them for dancing and practicing sports. Actually, that's about the only time we're allowed to wear something other than our uniform here at Pokemon Tech. But that's okay. Mother and Father always say sweats look sloppy, anyway."

Sterling couldn't have been older than twelve, at the most, but there was something about him that made him seem older. Maybe it was simply having grown up around sophisticated people. He had the demeanor of a boy of about fifteen.

Jessie nodded numbly. Was this a crush she felt developing?

"O- of course!" she responded.

"I have six years of ballet, five of tap, and four of modern dance," Sterling informed them. "Plus, a little ballroom dance that my parents me learn before I enrolled in Pokemon Tech. Back when I was staying at home, they still thought I'd be doing cotillion in a few years."

"Oh, _cotillion_ ," sighed James, with a roll of his eyes. The concept of cotillion must have sounded too swanky for him.

"Anyway, I'll see you around," said Sterling, and lifted his hand in a lazy half-wave before walking past Jessie and James to cross the hall and head back into the theater.

Jessie watched him go with butterflies in her stomach. Her trance-like standing and staring in the hall must have been boring to James, however, because after he touched her on the shoulder and brought her back to reality, she noticed that his eyebrows were knitted together and he looked mildly annoyed.

"Hey, what do you say we take your Rattata out to the quad and we can put this book to good use?" James suggested, tapping his fingertips against the cover of _The Bonds of Friendship and Pokemon Battles_. "I can watch you try out the training tips it contains and we can learn about forging bonds with Pokemon that way. Isn't that a good idea?"

Jessie shook her head. "Not right now! Are you kidding me? I've got to practice for my dance audition! Let's go!" She began hurrying away, ready to leave the auditorium and find a quiet place to dust off her dancing shoes. She was a curious mixture of nerves and excitement. She glanced back over her shoulder at James.

"Are you coming?"

He evidently was, shuffling along behind her, looking a little like she'd just given him whiplash. At her prodding, though, he picked up the pace obligingly, until the two of them were both racing off to their next pursuit.

 _ **To be continued...**_


	5. Rebels Part II

**My perpetual thanks to everyone who continues to support this fic by reading, reviewing, fav'ing, rec'ing, etc. Thanks for having patience with my slow updates!**

 **Rebels Part II**

"I'm so tired," Jessie moaned, practically limping along as she and James walked over to her dorm from the school's dining hall. All that rich food wasn't setting well, either. After the workout of her dance practice, she'd perhaps overindulged at dinner, scarfing down two servings of roast beef and lots of hot, buttery rolls. She must have misjudged how hungry she was, and now, her stomach felt bloated as much as her feet and legs felt sore.

"You just need to rest a little," James tried to comfort her. "And then you'll do great tonight."

Was she getting a blister? It felt like she might be getting a blister.

"Of course," Jessie said, trying to make her agreement sound as convincing as possible. "My audition is going to be awesome."

James went to open the main door of her dorm building for her, and Jessie stopped to take a quick rest before attempting the steep climb up the stairs to her floor. She leaned against James's shoulder, but supporting her weight on one side and the weight of the door on the other must've been a little much for him, because he staggered and they both almost fell.

"Whoa-o-o-o!" Jessie exclaimed, pinwheeling her free arm to keep balance while just managing to get hold of James's collar with her other hand and keep him upright, too.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed, and stomped her foot. "And now I have all those stairs to climb." They both lurched forward into the lobby of the building.

She kicked off her shoe and rubbed her heel.

 _Yup. That's definitely a blister._

"Uh, but Jess, didn't you know that these buildings have elevators?" James pointed to a slim door in the corner of the lobby, past the stairs, metallically gleaming next to a panel of buttons.

It was a harsh pluck on the strings her overly-tightened nerves. Jessie felt herself blush in embarrassment.

"Well, why the hell would they hide it all the way over there?" she cried, channeling her frustration with herself into frustration with the builders of the dorm. She slipped her shoe back on and scowled.

"Yes, why, why the h-h-hell?" James echoed unconvincingly. They hobbled on over to the elevator, Jessie's arm slung over James's shoulder.

Honestly, all this contact was a bit awkward. James had never been reluctant to give her a hand to help her to her feet, or offer her a literal shoulder to lean on, but all this casual physical closeness felt so alien to Jessie. Nobody had been around to give her hugs since her mom left. She'd never held hands with a school friend as a little girl, skipping through a meadow to collect daisies. And now she kept touching... _a boy._ Even James seemed a little tense about it, too.

This, despite the fact that they kept reaching out to each other like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was a peculiar impulse that Jessie didn't understand, but her mind was too full of Sterling to make it mean more than it did.

Sterling was just the sort of fancy, shiny thing that she'd never, ever had, and he'd actually held a conversation with her! He couldn't wait to see her dance tonight! Wow, he'd just been...so nice to her!

James helped see her to her room. They found Tyra inside, picking up papers off her bed and sliding them into various folders and gathering her books to pile them on the nightstand.

"Hi," said Jessie. "Finally done hitting the books?"

Tyra turned and straightened, smiling at them pleasantly. "For now. It's almost time to go, isn't it?" Giving an inquiring glance to James, she added, "Will you be joining us?"

"Yes, indeed," replied James. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is James. I met Jessie here on the first day of school and earlier today, she invited me to accompany you both to watch the dance auditions."

"James," Jessie grumbled, "Do you mind if I actually go _into_ my dorm room and sit down?" They'd been standing at the threshold this whole time, ridiculously. As well as somewhat uncomfortably for Jessie. She had no idea why James had just stopped there.

"Oh!" the boy exclaimed. He paused. "Well, why not? Desperate times call for desperate measures." He helped her forward as she limped into the room, and Tyra shot up off her bed and came to lend her arm to Jessie, as well.

"What happened to you?" she asked with seeming concern. "You hurt yourself?"

Jessie didn't answer her immediately, however, because she was preoccupied by seeing James immediately slink back to the doorway after handing her off to Tyra. She watched him awkwardly stand in the threshold and frowned.

"James? What's the matter with you? Don't you want to come in?"

Tyra helped Jessie walk Jessie to her bed, where the redhead perched on the end.

"I, well- I hope you don't think I'm being rude," James replied, and gave a shrill little nervous chuckle. "It's just… Well, you're okay with me coming in? My parents always told me that it was improper to sit in a girl's room without a chaperone."

"I can understand that," said Tyra before Jessie could give her own opinion. "My parents are sort of strict, too. It wouldn't surprise me if they have that rule, too, but it's never come up."

"Seems kind of silly to me," said Jessie, and wondered what Frank and Prue's rules would've been for girl versus boy guests, if Jessie had ever had any friends over to the house.

"I'm pretty sure other boys visit their girl friends...well, you know, their friends that are girls…" Jessie clarified with a slight infusion of heat in her cheeks. "I'm sure they visit them in their dorms here."

"Especially the older students," Tyra tittered behind her hand. "But, anyway, Jessie- what happened? How did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm not really hurt," Jessie responded with mild irritation. "I've just got sore legs and a blister. I need a little break, is all, and then I'll be able to dance through the discomfort."

"We have to leave soon," said Tyra, kneeling down beside the bed and watching Jessie massage an aching leg. "A _little_ break is exactly what you're going to get. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Of course!" Jessie replied, and stopped rubbing her leg, not wanting to seem like she was in significant pain. And she wasn't, not really! It was just a little bit of minor discomfort and that was it. So what if all she wanted to do was take a nice, warm, soothing bath and go to bed? She was used to rough conditions on the road. She wasn't one of these prep school princesses! She could power through a few sore muscles!

"Is that where that big bruise is?" James spoke up, still from the doorway. "You know, Jessie, maybe you should just skip the auditions. Is this really a must-attend event? It's just a quick show they're putting together to welcome the new students who pass the entrance exams."

Jessie gasped. "Of course I have to go!" She cried in disbelief, narrowing her eyes at him. "What was I just spending the last several hours practising for? You were just encouraging me outside!"

James didn't seem to respond at first. He merely stood there, chewing on his lip and looking serious. Jessie figured she'd managed to shut down his ridiculous suggestion and make him feel silly about it, but all of a sudden, he was breaking his dumb old rule about not going into a girl's room, and in he came, striding stiffly, like an uncertain soldier marching into war.

Very quickly, and with furiously blushing cheeks, he rolled down her sock just enough to inspect the bruise she'd acquired when she'd tripped while doing a leap out in the school quad.

"Jessie!" Tyra gasped.

"See, not bad at all!" Jessie asserted, annoyed with James for interfering where he didn't belong. She glared at him while her tummy tickled, wanting to know why his hand on her leg felt so different from his hand in her hand or on her shoulder.

"And I'm pretty sure," she said to him in half a whisper, "that if it's improper to step foot in a girl's room, it's even worse to unroll her stocking."

James's face went full-on fire engine in color and he swiftly retreated back to the safety of the doorway.

* * *

They could hear the music coming from the auditorium from halfway across campus. The walk was more of an ordeal than Jessie had expected it to be, but she wasn't about to lean on Tyra or James. They would never let her audition if that was the case. She had to appear like she'd been completely cured by her little rest up in her dorm room.

The way they'd gone on like a couple of worry warts, Jessie could imagine them forcibly dragging her out of the theater if she seemed too weak to audition.

 _Yeah, and they'd have be pretty motivated, too. I still remember every moment of taking down Randy, so maybe I have nothing to worry about. They'd have to be really tough._

Still, Jessie put on a brave face so as not to have to listen to any more of their complaints. They were repetitive and annoying. They were… they were psyching her out a little bit.

 _Maybe I_ _ **am**_ _too worn out to do this._

But no. That was nonsense talk, and it wouldn't get her anywhere. Worn out was just another way of saying weak, and Jessie certainly wasn't weak. She could perform well. All she had to do was make herself be as awesome as she knew she could be. And she wasn't going to hurt herself any worse, because she just wouldn't _let_ herself get hurt.

It was a basic enough idea.

The whole campus definitely had a very particular atmosphere of a big event happening that night. Jessie could only imagine how it would be on the night of the actual performance. Even though tonight was only the auditions, it seemed like most of the school was turning out to watch. The air was electric as groups of students streamed into the auditorium, their conversations bubbling over with excitement.

Just outside the theater, a man with a clipboard was waving his arm and talking over the crowd.

"All students who are trying out, this way, please! If you are auditioning, step up and see me!"

"That's my cue!" Jessie announced enthusiastically, and attempted bouncing on her over to the guy rounding up the auditioning students, but when she started to skip forward, her foot turned inward just enough to make her _almost_ trip over her own two damn feet. Jessie managed not to stumble, however, and just resolved not to do anything but walk until she got up on stage.

She waited patiently with the group...well, maybe that wasn't true. She was actually feeling really antsy. She was determined to turn in a great audition, but her nerves were also growing. Jessie's eyes sought James and Tyra, and at first she thought they'd already made their way into the theater. However, she soon glimpsed them crowded up near the propped-open door, about ready to file in with the rest of the audience members. Tyra threw her a thumbs-up and a smile before disappearing amidst the throng heading in to be seated. James simply made eye contact and smiled, but the type of smile he was wearing startled Jessie. She had never seen that kind of smile before in her life. It was like he was looking at a star already.

James, too, headed into the theater, and Jessie then glanced around furtively at the students with whom she was standing. So far, there were about thirty to forty other students waiting there. Some of them looked vaguely familiar, but Jessie didn't see anyone she'd ever actually spoken to until a cackle brought her attention to the back of the crowd of auditioners. It was that stupid little snot Calliope, flanked by her gaggle of girlfriends and very obviously trying to desperately to attract the notice of Sterling, who was standing a few feet away, not paying her any attention and studying a piece of paper. Calliope twisted a brunette curl around a finger while she admired the daring slicked-back fin at the back of Sterling's head of blond hair.

All of a sudden, though, she must have sensed Jessie looking at her, because in the next instant, she was looking at Jessie. Calliope narrowed her eyes in an unfriendly squint and gave a loud (and, Jessie had to say, very unladylike), snort.

Sterling lifted his head, Calliope having finally succeeded in gaining his attention.

The brown-haired girl batted her eyelashes very rapidly at the boy. Her friends giggled beside her.

"Do you have something in your eye, Callie?"

"I'll say she does; a boy!"

Calliope blushed deeply and glared around at her flunkies until their titters were silenced. She glanced anxiously over to Sterling, who was rolling his eyes. Jessie had to smirk at that, and, right before he looked back down at his paper, Sterling seemed to feel her eyes on him. He looked back at her and smiled slightly.

And then...he _winked_. He actually _winked. Je_ ssie's heart did a somersault in her chest.

"Alright, everybody, if you will please follow me," stated the man with the clipboard, holding up his arms, "we'll be heading backstage now where you will all wait your respective turns to auditorium. Follow me, follow me, si vous plait!"

* * *

"Those are the shoes that you're wearing?" the teacher wanted to know, pointing at Jessie's loafers.

Jessie wriggled her toes against the insides of the shoes that she'd gotten on loan with the rest of her uniform. She knew, of course, what he was getting at, but unless there was a spare pair of dance shoes hanging around in the wardrobe closet…

"I have a pair of sneakers back in my room," Jessie suggested half-heartedly, suddenly realizing how foolish she probably seemed for showing up without proper footwear, and knowing she probably wouldn't be allowed to run back to her room for something that was at least more comfortable.

 _Jessie, Jessie, Jessie,_ she scolded herself. _You probably physically couldn't make it to your room and back anyway, not unless you literally have all day._

The teacher shook his head and looked exasperated. "I meant that perhaps you should be wearing ballet or tap shoes, or any other form of proper dance shoes. But you would need to have brought them with. There's no time for running back to rooms." He looked down at his clipboard and appeared to be counting names. Then, he grabbed a square piece of paper and handed it to Jessie. It had the number 17 on it.

Jessie looked at it and realized that it was a sticker.

"Go ahead and put that on the front of your outfit. You'll be up in about fifteen minutes. Once on stage, you'll have two minutes for your audition. One minute to deliver your monologue, and one to perform your dance routine."

Jessie started to nod in understanding. "Thanks. Got it. Two minutes. One for -" Her next words died in her throat as a rush of confusion hit her. "Um…" she squeaked out, "one for m-my monologue?"

The teacher was starting to walk away toward another student. He stopped with a sigh that Jessie was surprised didn't shake the floor. He turned back to her with an even more irritated look than before.

"Yes. Your monologue. Don't tell me you don't have one. It was on the signs all around campus, with all of the other information about auditioning. You will need to give a dramatic reading, such as from a favorite book or poem."

Jessie was frozen like a statue, mortified.

 _That's why Sterling was looking at that sheet of paper before we came in! He was studying his monologue! Oh what am I going to do?! I'm not prepared at all! This is already a disaster!_

Her legs and feet still felt sore, everyone would notice that she was wearing the wrong shoes, and she didn't even have a monologue prepared! She was going to go out there in pain, with foolish-looking feet, and with her mouth dumbly flapping and no words coming out.

 _No! Stop it, Jess!_ she ordered herself harshly. _What good is this doing you? Just standing around thinking about things going wrong? Instead of doing that, you need to figure out a way for them to go right!_

* * *

"Number 17!"

 _Does it look like I'm limping? I feel like I'm limping…_

The back of Jessie's calves felt strained as she made her way over to the microphone stand. It seemed like with each passing minute, she discovered some other part of her that hurt. That blister on her heel was still more than annoying, too.

 _Stop! No! Don't think about it! Mind over matter! You can do this! You have to do this!_ She grabbed the microphone.

"Prepare- " Yikes, why had her voice cracked like that? Jessie suddenly felt herself break into a cold sweat. Her eyes sought the audience for a glimpse of James and Tyra, but the sea of faces caused her vision to swim.

Blinking rapidly, she cleared her throat and started again...once the lights bursting before her eyes began to subside.

"Prepare for the story of...of…" _Think! Think! You've got to think_ _ **now**_ _! Just tell a story that you know!_ "...Sleeping Beauty," she finally settled on, hoping that it wouldn't put everyone to sleep. Most of the stories that she knew were fairy tales, and she was hoping that this would turn out to be a tiny fairy tale moment of her own.

Jessie cleared her throat once more.

"There was this, um, there was this princess. A baby...baby princess. And, like, her parents were so happy when she was born that they, uh, threw her, like, this enormous party…" Why was she mumbling? She wasn't a mumbler. Jessie decided to speak louder.

"BUT THERE WAS A POWERFUL SORCERESS WHO WASN'T INVITED BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS TOO SCARED OF HER," Jessie continued. "AND SHE, UM, LIKE, WASN'T A VERY NICE PERSON, EITHER, SO WHEN SHE DIDN'T GET INVITED TO THE PRINCESS'S PARTY…" Wait, was she yelling now? It took her a few moments to realize, but suddenly, it occurred to her that her voice was pretty deafening. Some people in the audience were even cringing.

Jessie didn't know how she got through telling the rest of her story. It seemed to be over in the blink of an eye. She hoped she hadn't left anything out. And she also hoped she hadn't blown her chances at landing a role in this dance show by speaking too quickly. As she'd been trying to hurry and finish her story, she'd been just barely conscious the whole time that her words seemed to be coming out in a rush.

Then, it was time to dance. Dance music emitted from the speakers in the theater. Jessie backed away from the microphone until she was in the center of the stage. And then, she began the routine she'd practiced earlier. It started off with tapping and stomping her feet, then she spun in a circle while clapping her hands together.

Jessie performed a couple of little leaps, feeling the impact in her feet every time she landed. She lowered herself to the floor and formed a backwards arch with her body and did a couple more poses on the floor. Bending and straightening her legs caused them to ache, but Jessie pushed through the discomfort. She tried to seem charming by occasionally smiling out at the crowd, but only remembered to do so a couple of times. Most of the time, she just looked down, feeling more shy than she'd expected to feel.

Wincing when it hurt to stand, Jessie got to her feet again and prepared to do a big leap. She got a running start, shifted her weight to one leg, bounded off that foot, stretched out the other leg gracefully…

...And landed on a rolled ankle, and then on the hard, wooden floor as she fell flat on her back.

 _No, no, this can't be happening! No! Ohhh….owwww!_

The teacher who'd given Jessie her number poked his head out from behind the curtains at the opposite end of the stage.

"Are you hurt, dear? Can you make it off the stage?"

Tears burned in Jessie's eyes, but she furiously blinked them away.

"Fine." She swallowed, and the teacher seemed to take her at her word. He nodded and turned briskly away, calling,

"Number 18! You're up next!"

Jessie had lied. She _was_ hurt and she _couldn't_ make it off the stage. Oh, she had fully intended to leave the stage, but was only able to make it to the far corner, hidden between the folds of the curtains and out of eye sight of the audience. It was at that point that she fell to her knees and couldn't move another inch.

But although her poor battered feet and legs certainly did hurt fiercely, it wasn't physical pain that made her collapse. Big, hot, silent tears gushed down her cheeks as she stayed hidden in her corner.

From the other side of the stage, Calliope breezed out from behind the curtain, approached the mic stand and curtsied to the crowd.

Jessie awaited Calliope's performance with bated breath, not really wanting to see, but unable to look away, like someone watching a trainwreck. Of course, in this case, what Jessie was worried about was that there _wouldn't_ be a trainwreck. The way things were going, she was pretty positive that this awful, stuck-up brat was going to nail her audition.

Calliope began to recite a poem from memory, in a confident yet dramatically sad voice. Jessie tuned out for most of it. She thought she heard something about a Pokemon being lost in a storm. A Ducklett, probably. Because at the end, Calliope was saying something about how a Swanna now felt beautiful and could spread its wings and fly.

As if to illustrated that point, Calliope then leapt back from the microphone, almost as if she were flying. Then music started up, and then began her dance. Her movements were graceful and elegant. She appeared to be doing ballet. She was also- unlike Jessie, who was just stuck in her faded uniform- wearing a real dancer's outfit, including the right shoes.

Almost before she even knew what she was doing, Jessie scooted forward along the floor until she emerged from behind the curtains and was just barely out on stage again. When Calliope danced over her way, Jessie kicked out as fast and as hard as she could, bringing the brunette girl to the ground.

" _Owwwww_!" Calliope whined, clutching at her shin. "I've been struck down!" Tears danced in her eyes as gracefully as she'd been dancing on the stage, but Jessie couldn't tell if they were real or not. She didn't exactly care either way.

"What a tragedy!" Calliope continued to howl dramatically. "I had so much potential!"

If Jessie was lucky about one thing that day (and she wasn't feeling very lucky so far, to put it mildly), it was that apparently no school staff members had seen her trip Calliope. She soon overheard them loudly convening in a huddle near the front of the stage, talking about how yet another student had taken a spill.

"Oh, my goodness! Another one!"

"These students just keep falling down."

"Did her leg just give out, too?"

Jessie looked over at Calliope, who had fury in her eyes. All of a sudden, she was done playing the victim part and ready to try something else. She swiftly let go of her leg, straightened her skirt, and stood back up on two legs without so much as a wobble.

"You!" Calliope yelled, and thrust out an accusatory finger to point the blame at Jessie. "Let's have a battle, you Pokemon ignoramus! Then we'll see who's laughing!"

"You were laughing at me first!" Jessie cried. She glanced around nervously. Her knees wanted to lock and not allow her to stand. She didn't want to accept this challenge, but what could she do? She'd just been called out in front of everyone.

"I choose you, Squirtle!" shouted Calliope, as she released the Pokemon from its ball. Jessie got slowly to her feet as the creature emerged in a burst of light.

"Take a good look," taunted Calliope. "This actually _is_ a water Pokemon, Jessie! And it's going to beat you good!"

" _That's beat you well!"_ a grown-up voice shouted from somewhere in the audience. It must have been a teacher, and Jessie was astonished that none of the staff was rushing to put a stop to this impromptu battle interrupting the dance auditions.

Jessie's hand grappled nervously for her pocket. She always carried Rattata's Pokeball on her, just in case, even though they rarely turned out to be an effective team.

She pulled out the Pokeball and sent out her only line of defense.

"Go! Rattata!" she cried, with as much feigned confidence as she could muster.

Rattata appeared, and no sooner than it did so did Calliope order her Squirtle to do an attack.

"Go, Squirtle, use Bubble!"

A horde of deceptively gentle-looking bubbles was incoming, and Jessie yelled for Rattata to dodge it, but it was too late. Rattata crouched low to the ground and flinched as it was barraged by bubbles. It strained to gaze back at its trainer, and seemed to be giving her an angry look.

Jessie felt a blush suffuse her cheeks. Time to pay Squirtle back for what it did to Rattata.

"How dare you!" Jessie shouted. "Rattata! Go! Use Bite!"

"Squirtle!" cried Calliope, and did a fancy twirl that showed off exactly how little she'd been hurt by the spill Jessie had caused, "do an about-face!"

"Wha- ?" Jessie stuttered, but soon the reason behind Calliope's order became clear. Squirtle turned its back just as Rattata came flying at it, teeth protruding, leading Rattata's teeth to collide with-

"No!" shouted Jessie, but in vain.

Rattata fell back with a whimper as its famously powerful fangs failed to withstand Squirtle's tough shell.

"Now, Squirtle," Calliope ordered, after throwing Jessie a smirk, "Rapid Spin!"

At high speed, Squirtle came whirling toward Rattata, striking with enough physical force to make for Rattata and Jessie's quick and sound defeat.

Jessie squeezed her teary eyes tightly shut and thrust out Rattata's Pokeball, aiming it at the poor, fainted creature.

"Rattata, return!" she cried out with a breaking voice.

The school staff members out in the audience began shouting their praises up at Calliope.

"Excellent job, Calliope!"

"Keeping your composure even with things going wrong!"

"You're not seriously hurt, are you? We need you to be in this dance show!"

The students in the audience began to join in the clapping, until a wave of applause washed over the theater.

While Calliope soaked it in, Jessie limped off into the shadows, unnoticed.

* * *

It didn't seem like she'd been out there for very long, but then, time had seemed to stand still after such a traumatic experience. The humiliation of it all made everything seem so surreal. Pained both emotionally and physically, Jessie could go no further than the stoop behind the back of the auditorium. Behind the building, the avenue and grounds were deserted, and she cried off and on while staring into space and wondering how it all went wrong.

She was jolted out of her moping by the sound of a heavy door being energetically thrown open, and the chatter of several students out in front of the building. People were starting to leave. The auditions seemed to be ending too fast, but since she'd lost track of time, she couldn't say for sure.

Jessie heard another door open, this time with a slow _crreeeaaak_ , and this time, it was right behind her.. Her bottom actually briefly left the step it was sitting on as she jumped at the nearness of the noise. Once she turned to see who'd opened the door, her heart gave a similar leap.

 _Of course he went out the back way. He's a charming rebel who does things his own way,_ Jessie reminded herself. _Or better yet...maybe he saw me come out the back way and followed after me!_

"Sterling!" she gasped. He'd come looking for her. Her knight in shining armor.

Although she knew she'd made a fool of herself in front of him, Jessie was glad to see a friendly face. She probably wasn't looking her best, and while that did make her blush, she bravely looked him straight in the face. After all, a true gentleman who had truly had his heart captured by his adored heroine would think she looked beautiful, no matter what.

"Can I get by?" he muttered, not following her example and shifting his eyes side to side.

Jessie only nodded numbly in surprise, and scooted along the step so Sterling could walk down.

 _Is he leaving…?_

No. He wasn't leaving. Sterling made it down and then stood there at the bottom of the steps. He and Jessie looked at each other. A heavy silence hung in the air. Jessie waited on pins and needles to hear what he would say when he finally spoke.

"That seemed like it was quite embarrassing," said Sterling flatly. "You must feel lousy, huh?"

Jessie stared, uncertain how to respond to these remarks. Something about them seemed so insensitive. Sterling was speaking the truth, but his voice sounded bored rather than sympathetic. She would rather he looked or sounded reassuring. Preferably both.

"It's been a pretty bad night," she admitted softly, her gaze turning downcast. "I guess I did kinda embarrass myself...a lot." She dragged the toes of one of her scuffed, school-issue loafers across the surface of the step in front of her.

Sterling didn't say anything again for what seemed like a long time, and Jessie eventually looked up to see if he was still there.

"Listen, I don't need, like, a...a... girlfriend or anything," Sterling muttered, turning red and shuffling his foot, no longer seeming so mature beyond his years. "But if I did…it couldn't be you, anyway. I don't wanna get made fun of. You know nothing about Pokemon, and….well, you're pretty much a total outcast here. I mean, look at you. Anyone could tell."

* * *

Jessie's eyes ached from all the crying, and she just knew they were unattractively red and puffy. She stared off into the sunset from her perch at the back of the auditorium. The auditorium that had emptied out but now, she was sure. From her position, she was able to see around the side of the building and watched as students went walking down the avenues of the campus in rows and clusters on their way back to their dorms. The groups got smaller and smaller in size. Only the stragglers leaving now.

And so now she was all alone. The way she'd always been. The way it seemed she was destined to be.

She couldn't believe the way Sterling had treated her. It was so humiliating! She couldn't believe that she could pick such a terrible guy to have a crush on. Why hadn't she sensed his mean streak before?

But worse than having bad taste in boys...worse than being turned down by someone she liked and having to put aside her girlish dreams of holding hands and sharing an ice cream cone… worse than looking stupid at her audition… It was what Sterling had said about everyone noticing that Jessie didn't belong that hurt the most. It was what she'd feared since she first arrived at Pokemon Tech, and it was devastating to have her suspicions confirmed.

"Jess? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Jessie jumped at the sound of James's voice.

 _He's come to laugh at me, too!_ she thought, her heart beating nervously, as she thought about how she couldn't face rejection. First from the dance show, then from her crush, and now from the person she'd thought was going to become her best friend at this school. But trouble always came in threes. That's what she'd always heard, anyway. She dropped her head toward her knees and folded her arms protectively over her head.

Jessie shut her eyes tight, but had to peek when she heard him walking closer. He stopped right in front of her, only a couple of feet away, and she realized that he didn't look mocking or disgusted.

He had concern written all over his face, and she suddenly felt kinda dumb, and maybe even a bit guilty, for assuming that James had come to make fun of her. Still…

That meant he was only here for one other thing, and that didn't feel good, either.

"Leave me alone, James," Jessie sniffled as she raised her head. "I don't need your pity."

"But only a horrible person wouldn't think what happened to you was wrong," James argued, as he came to sit down next to her. "Maybe you screwed up your audition, but- "

"I was still really good, though!" Jessie interrupted in protest.

James looked at her sadly, and Jessie clenched her fists.

"What is that look?" she demanded. "Why did you just look at me like you pity me? Did you think my audition _wasn't_ good? Did you think that it was pathetically bad? Before I fell, I mean."

Jessie inwardly cringed at her own words. _Well, if he didn't think I was pathetic already_ …

"It wasn't pathetic, no," James replied gently. "Everyone makes mistakes. After you tripped- "

"But that was such an itsy bitsy mistake!" Jessie growled, glaring at her companion. _What's wrong with him?_ she thought furiously. _Why is he focusing on my slip-up? Why isn't he trying to make me feel better?_

"B-b-but who could concentrate on the rest of your audition when they were wondering if you were hurt?" replied James in a hurried, high-pitched voice, leaning away from her.

"Nobody was worried that I could be hurt," Jessie muttered, shifting her glare down to the ground as she thought about the other students hatefully. "Nobody in this school cares about me. They just want to see me fail, because that's how they get their chuckles. These rich kids… They just want to feel superior to everybody else."

"Jessie, _I_ didn't want to see you get hurt. And Tyra didn't, either." James sighed, and Jessie practically felt the weight of it. She could feel the tension that he was under vibrating off him. It was hard for him to talk to her right now.

 _So why is he bothering?_

"Go away," Jessie muttered harshly, hugging her knees into her chest and resting her cheek on them, turning her face away from him. "What, you want a medal for not being a jerk? Don't do me any favors!"

James looked hurt, his emerald eyes widening and his already sad expression sinking further. He shifted his seat on the step, and Jessie thought he was about to get up and leave. She immediately felt a stab of regret and realized very quickly that she _did_ want his company. However, he seemed to only be fidgeting due to the awkwardness of the situation. James stared down at his shoes and Jessie turned toward him with a sigh.

"I- I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep snapping," she said softly. "I shouldn't be mean when you keep trying to be nice."

"The show's not even going to be any good anymore without you in it," said James. "And...and to tell you the truth, I don't know why you wanna be in it so badly. You're clearly a good dancer. If you hadn't been so fatigued, you could've danced circles around all the rest of them."

Jessie couldn't help but smile very slightly despite herself.

Still, she argued, "But I didn't," not completely cheered up.

"Well, they don't know what they're missing," James replied with conviction. "In fact, I think you're too good for their show! They don't deserve you, and you should be grateful that you don't have to do them the favor of being in their sub-par little production!"

Jessie's next smile came easier. Maybe James was right. _She_ knew she could perform much better than she had tonight, so what did it matter whether or not all these snooty kids knew how good she really was? And did she _really_ want to support this school by helping it put on a good face with its silly little show?

Still…that wasn't the only thing nagging at her…

"Well, I might be a good dancer, but I'm still a pretty pathetic excuse for a trainer."

If she was expecting James to find the right words to comfort her this time, she was disappointed. He only scratched at the back of his head and said nothing.

Jessie sighed and shook her head, smiling sadly. "Ever since I got here, every day, every moment feels like taking a test that I can't pass." She fought the urge to clamp her hands over her mouth in dismay over admitting that.

"What do you mean?" asked James, sounding puzzled but sympathetic.

Encouraged, Jessie went on. "I mean, this school puts so many expectations on you. To look a certain way, act a certain way, and be the best right off the bat! It's like they don't even want to give you a chance!"

James's puzzled look was gone. "Oh. That," he said in a tone full of understanding. "Well, Jessie...I-I-I can't say that I know for sure, obviously… But I have a feeling that it's not just this school, but the whole upper class world. I had a bad feeling before I came here that this place would be too high-pressure and snooty, but it just seemed like the safest bet, you know?"

The boy looked down and ran aimless, fidgety circles with his fingertips over his knee. "Maybe I'm just a coward, Jessie. Maybe I should've just gone on a Pokemon journey. But it just sounded more appealing to try and make a new home here and work on getting into the Pokemon League by going through school. Far less risk involved, that way."

"Oh. Well, I don't think going on Pokemon journey is really all that dangerous," said Jessie. "I mean, not as long as you watch out for yourself." She puffed out her chest and tried to look tough. "If anything, I found it to be kind of boring…" _Of course, that's only because I'm not a good trainer, and it gets really dull, just wandering around and trying and failing to get better. There aren't many opportunities for thrills and chills when you're so behind everyone else._

"You're pretty...brave, Jessie," said James, and Jessie told herself that she wasn't disappointed that he hadn't stopped at 'pretty'. "You've been on a real Pokemon journey, then?"

"I traveled around for six or seven months before coming here," Jessie replied after a moment's hesitation. Right now, when she was already feeling like a loser, she really didn't want to go into detail about her travels. Not when she didn't have any accomplishments to show for them.

But James seemed to think that going on a Pokemon journey was an accomplishment by itself.

"That's really cool," he said with a soft smile. "You'll have to tell me all about it sometime."

So he wasn't going to make her talk about it right now. Sometimes it was like he could he read her mind. Jessie gave him an appreciative smile.

Just then, an idea formed in her head, seemingly out of nowhere. Maybe it was all the talk of adventure. Maybe she wanted to give James one, of a sort. And she wanted to give herself an adventure that was more of a treat than a trial.

"You know what? We need a break from everybody else's expectations. And I definitely need to do something to take my mind off tonight." She cringed.

James blinked at her curiously, if not a little skeptically.

"But what did you have in mind? What can we do?"

"Tomorrow night! Tomorrow night, after everyone's in bed, you, me, and Tyra should sneak out and go into town! What do you say? I bet that after I rest up for a full twenty-four hours, I'll be good as new and totally able to walk into town and back."

James looked taken aback. "Sneaking out?"

"A little too risky for you?" Jessie supposed she ought to have figured, but she couldn't help feeling let down.

James hesitated, but gradually, a grin broke out across his face, and suddenly, he looked very charmingly rebellious.

"What, are you kidding me? If I didn't like sneaking out, I wouldn't even be- " He abruptly cut himself off, though, shifting his gaze away and clearing his throat. "I mean.. _ahem, hem…_ I wouldn't even be myself!"

He must have hesitated because he wasn't sure if he could pull that line off, which, sure enough, he couldn't… But with that smile, he would've almost had it.

Jessie cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

"Tomorrow night… Tomorrow night we're going to have the best time ever!"

"I'm all for that!" James cried in support, joining Jessie in a high-five.

"Just as long as we don't stay out too late," James added. "We have tests to get up early for."

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Tyra asked eagerly as the end of the forest came into sight. They had been walking for what felt like a half hour by that point. Now a small town came into sight, and they were faced with the prospect of planning their big night out.

"I've never been able to just go out on my own for fun like this!" James enthused. "Have either of you guys?! This is so exciting!"

Tyra shook her head no, but Jessie responded,

"Sure. I've been on my own for awhile now. I've spent countless nights wandering cities on my own." She folded her arms in a cool, carefree fashion behind her head as she walked.

 _Most of those nights I was just looking for a Pokemon Center so I could crash and get some grub, but they don't need to know that._

"Wow…" Tyra murmured, clear admiration in her voice, and Jessie realized that nobody had ever sounded impressed with her before. She also realized that it felt pretty darn good.

"You're so lucky!" James declared, and Jessie wondered if maybe she was, even if it was only lucky in a small way.

 _I've had an opportunity to be cool like these kids have never had! And now…_

Jessie grinned to herself as they walked out of the forest and found themselves standing on top of a small hill looking down at the spattering of buildings below them, lit up and waiting.

The pain in Jessie's legs was all but gone after a full day of resting. Her bruised ego was still intact, though. Although she could mostly ignore it from moment to moment, occasionally the humiliation she'd suffered on Saturday came creeping back into her heart, like a ninja administering a secret dose of poison.

Tonight, though. Tonight was about forgetting. Tonight was about blowing off some steam before tomorrow's test.

When they made it into town, they decided to walk around and take in the sights before selecting what to do. Dinner had only been a little over an hour ago, and so the little group wasn't hungry enough to go and eat anything from a restaurant.

"I don't really have any money to spend," Jessie admitted, feeling a slight blush highlight her cheeks. "What can we do for cheap?"

 _Like, cheap as in free…_

"This isn't exactly the big city," Tyra observed. "Our options are going to be limited."

The group all studied store signs, trying to find something that said, 'Fun Awaits Inside!'

"A pharmacy," Tyra noted, pointing to a sign.

"Who cares about that?" asked Jessie dismissively.

"Do you have a headache?" James asked.

"No," said Tyra, "but I'm sure they don't just sell medicine. They probably also have things like candy and cosmetics…"

"Well, that's an idea!" James exclaimed, starting to look optimistic. His hands fiddled together in apparent anticipation of soon grabbing some treats. "They might also have soda pop, then, too, don't you think?"

"Does it look like that kind of a pharmacy, though?" asked Jessie as they stopped outside. "It looks more like traditional herbs and things."

The group ventured inside, and discovered that it was mostly like Jessie had supposed. There were dried herbs hanging from the ceilings and medicines housed in jars with homemade labels. But as the kids walked around under the watchful eye of the shopkeep (an old woman who had a kindly expression when Jessie made eye contact with her, but who was visibly suspicious of the trio when she thought they weren't looking), they also found what they had been searching for.

"They _do_ have soda pop! I've never seen this kind before," said James, standing over by a small cooler. "It says that it's all-natural and bottled locally. Well, it's nice to support a small business, isn't it? Shall I get you ladies each one as well?"

Jessie and Tyra approached their friend and looked at the soda collection. They each plucked a bottle from inside the cooler.

"Ummm…" Tyra muttered hesitantly, turning her bottle over between her hands and eyeing it doubtfully.

Jessie was inspecting hers in a similar fashion. "It's all gunky!" she exclaimed in disgust. She never thought she'd be turning down a free treat, but… "It looks like it has globs of jelly floating in it!"

Tyra nodded. "Yeah, it looks pretty gross, alright. Mine looks like somebody chewed up some food and spit it into the bottle."

Those words turned James a little green.

"Uh, right, I see what you're saying," he murmured, although by that point, he seemed to be doing everything he could to avoid looking at the soda bottle he was holding. "But, uh, I don't really care about that, anyway. I really just want to buy one for the bottle cap."

"The bottle cap?" Jessie asked.

"Oh, yes!" said James, nodding his head enthusiastically. "I collect them! And this is a kind I've never seen before. What a fortunate find!"

Jessie and Tyra shrugged at each other and turned away to look at other things. Jessie located a stand that held some all-natural makeup items. She picked up a few tubes of lipstick and examined them. Such pretty colors! She couldn't wait until she grew up and was a glamorous woman who wore makeup every day.

 _I'll be a really successful trainer by then,_ she told herself. _As well as a beautiful woman._

"I like that shade of pink," said Tyra, looking over Jessie's shoulder and pointing at once of the two tubes of lipstick she currently held in her hands. "I think maybe I'll buy it." She pointed at the other tube. "And that red would look great on you."

Jessie felt like she was looking at the lipstick with stars in her eyes. She'd never thought about it before, but now that she did, she really liked the idea of wearing red lipstick.

There was just one problem…

She felt herself blush. "I can't really afford it, though…" she mumbled.

Tyra shrugged. "That's okay. I can. Let me buy it for you."

"Really?!" Jessie squeaked in ecstatic disbelief. Nobody had ever bought her a present before. "Are you serious?"

"Uh huh," Tyra smiled and nodded, and together, they walked toward the checkout, Jessie clutching her lipstick so proudly. Standing up at the register with someone who could pay for luxuries and not just the barest necessities.

Once outside, they found themselves again at a loss over what to do with their time. However, that was after Tyra fished a compact mirror out of her purse and beckoned Jessie to go ahead and take the red lipstick for a spin.

"Wow!" squealed Jessie, more than pleased with the results. She clasped a hand to her cheek and admired herself with a smile that wouldn't leave her face. "It changes my whole appearance! I don't think I've ever looked so much like myself in my life."

"I told you so," beamed Tyra. "Now how about we stop for ice cream next? I saw a diner that's open all night. Jessie, if you need me to spot you the money- "

"I've got some money in my wallet, as well," James volunteered, cutting in. He cleared his throat and placed a hand on Jessie's shoulder. "No worries, Jessie. I've got you this time."

They all ordered ice cream sundaes, and it was the best dessert that Jessie had ever had. She didn't often get to have ice cream, but even so, this was by far the best she'd ever had, because she got to share it with friends.

It was better than another frozen treat she'd been forced to make do with, long ago when she was a small child. However, she couldn't bring that up to James and Tyra. Instead of talking about the past, the little group talked about their hopes for the future.

Tyra said that even though she planned on going to the Pokemon League someday, she also thought she might like to grow up to be a Pokemon nurse.

Neither Jessie nor James had a firm idea of what they wanted to do beyond the Pokemon League.

"Collect lots of Pokemon," James did say with a far-off smile. "Let them run around and play in the big yard around my house. Become a self-made man."

Jessie nodded vigorously. "Become rich, yes, and live in a mansion. That's part of my plan, too."

They left the restaurant and decided to call it a night and head back to the school. The walk back would take a little while, and it was already after midnight.

Passing by a grocer's, Jessie happened to glance off to the side and notice a grocery bag, apparently with something inside of it, sitting on top of a closed garbage can at the mouth of the alley beside the store.

A flashback hit Jessie, and suddenly she was recalling that day she'd first learned about Pokemon Tech's existence. The day she'd been walking back to the Fords' with the ingredients for her birthday cake. She remembered Randy tormenting her and making her lose all of them. In her mind's eye, she could still see the broach skidding down the storm drain, turning her lucky day into just another sadness. She remembered the teeny tiny ruby that had been left behind, glowing like the smallest of embers. She still had it, rolled up in one of her socks. But she could have had more.

Jessie pointed out the grocery sack.

"Look! Somebody left a bag over there! Might as well take it back with us."

"But for it to have gotten here, somebody must have bought it," Tyra protested. "We can't take somebody else's stuff!"

Jessie snorted and held her head high, giving a haughty swing to her hair that might've even given Calliope a run for her no-doubt big money.

"As far as I'm concerned," said Jessie, "waste not, want not. I don't see anybody around."

The three of them made a turn into the alley. Jessie stuck her hand into the bag and pulled out the single item inside. At first it seemed to be another soda pop, but once she read the label, she almost dropped the glass bottle.

It was a individual serving-sized bottle of wine.

Jessie placed it back on the trash can, and then they all stood back for a few moments, motionless. They stared at it as though studying it, caught up in the surreal sensation of, for the first time, being around something so adult while unsupervised.

"Just free for the taking," said Jessie, surprising herself. Wait, were they really going to spend their night out _drinking?_ They were just kids. That seemed a little _too_ risky. And yet… Her hand reached out and closed around the bottle.

"Jessie!" Tyra hissed, scandalized. "You can't drink that!"

" _We're_ going to drink it," Jessie corrected, without even having made a conscious decision to speak. _What was she saying?!_ Her fingers tightened around the bottle's neck and she stared at it in a daze. "And between the three of us... it's such a small bottle that we'll be fine." This really did make perfect sense to her, but her heart pounded nervously just the same.

She twisted off the cap. She took a sip.

She screwed up her lip. It was...not exactly good. It was tart and sort of tasted like...cleaning solution? Prue had washed Jessie's mouth out with cleaning solution once. But the wine also had a hint of fruitiness that made drinking it _almost_ bearable… Jessie took another sip. It went down easier now that she knew what to expect.

"Slow down!" James fretted like a worrywart. Jessie laughed.

"Honestly, James, am I going to get drunk off of two sips?"

Jessie felt like the leader again, just like when they were walking toward the little town and she'd been able to come off as more daring than the others. And she felt something else, something she'd never felt before, at least not this way. Frank and Prue had called her a bad kid many times before, but she'd never felt like a bad _girl_. Bad in such a... _cool_ way.

"C'mon," Jessie announced to the others, knowing with absolute certainty that they were going to follow. "Let's take this party back home."

* * *

"James, you have to keep hanging out with us," Jessie entreated, pulling on his hand. "Come upstairs!"

"I can't go into the girl's dormitory _at night_!" he protested, around a nervous laugh. "We'll get into trouble."

"Oh, but that's such a silly rule, anyway!" Jessie exclaimed, and used her free hand to seize his forearm while Tyra pushed at his back. They steered their friend closer to the door to the girls dorm building.

They were giddy victors returning from their big night out. At that moment, they felt like they could succeed at anything.

"Tyra," Jessie instructed. "Give James your purse."

The green-haired girl did so, slinging the strap over James's shoulder. The boy just stood there, uncomprehending, while Jessie fished around in her skirt pocket.

"I feel like Daddy waiting outside the dressing room, holding Mummy's handbag while she goes on a shopping spree," James observed.

"Not for long!" Jessie sang out, as the hand in her pocket reemerged clutching her new tube of lipstick. She grabbed onto James shoulder and dragged him under one of the street lamps lining the walks of the campus of Pokemon Tech. Now that she could see better, she saw about applying the lipstick to James's lips. He just allowed it to happen, frozen in surprise.

Next, Jessie untied her ribbon from her hair. She took a moment to run her fingers through her silken magenta locks, which now rested on her shoulders. She took the ribbon and quickly used it to tie up James's hair.

Tyra nodded her approval, and the two girls each took one of James's hands and, giggling, led him straight to the girls dormitory building. Pretty soon, James was laughing, too. The three of them kept their heads ducked down, but they were sure they'd made James a pretty convincing disguise, in case they ran into anybody.

They entered the building without anyone stopping them, an in short order, made it up to Jessie and Tyra's room.

"Oh, my gosh, Jessie!" Tyra cried gleefully. She collapsed back onto her bed gleefully and kicked her heels into the air. "Thank you _sooooo_ much for making me do this!

"Not a problem," Jessie grinned, and fell onto her own bed with a glow of pride in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to savor the feeling, warmer and more soothing than the few sips of wine she'd had. _She_ was somebody's fun friend! _Two_ somebody's fun friend! She was their fearless leader who had talked them into having the most fun of their lives.

She felt the bed dip lightly as James sat down gingerly on the edge.

Tyra, still lying back on her own bed, grabbed for her purse and retrieved the small bottle of wine they'd found on the street. They'd shared it all the way home. Jessie told herself that they'd all been taking only small sips to make it last, but knew the more likely explanation was they were being cautious about its effects.

"I feel so relaxed now," Tyra went on with a cheerful hum as she polished off the drop that was left in the bottle. "I bet tonight's going to do me good tomorrow. It's probably better to be relaxed before taking a test, instead of all stressed out."

"Oh, my word, the _test!_ " James groaned. "And here I've barely studied at all. Oh, I just know that I'm going to get a dreadful score!"

"You!" Jessie exclaimed. She laughed, but it was a slightly panicky laugh. She'd managed to forget all about the entrance exams, somehow, and this reminder was definitely unwelcome. "I bet you've studied more than me. I only managed about five minutes last night, and maybe an hour earlier today with Tyra.

"You definitely need to study more. I have all the recommended reading on my bookshelf over there," her roommate put in, waving a clumsy arm in a gesture to indicate the direction the bookshelf was in. "Help yourselves. There's a lot to get through,though…" She gave a big yawn. "Good luck."

Jessie and James scrambled as one to grab as many books as they could carry from the bookshelf. They threw them on the bed and then climbed back up on it themselves. Staring at the pile of reading material before them, it seemed like neither one of them knew where to start.

They exchanged an uneasy glance.

"Well," said James finally, and cracked a book open at random. "There isn't any time to lose, is there?"

They both laid down side by side on their stomachs, their heads close together, bent over the book. They then proceeded to stare blankly at the page as though they had never seen the written word before. The seconds ticked by for a while before James began to read aloud until he'd reached the end of his page. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, Jessie took over, reading aloud from the next page.

Once she'd reached the bottom, Jessie sighed heavily.

"It's not much of a cram session if we're only focusing on one book," she said, closing the cover on the one they were currently studying.

"Shall we try to speed read together, then?" asked James, grabbing another.

"I suppose," Jessie agreed, and the two of them bent over the next book and squinted intently, their gazes scurrying over the words before them. Jessie looked at James out of the corner of her eye to find him looking at her out of the corner of his. They both gave a nod of determination in unison, and the book was flipped to another page. Their eyes flicked rapidly back and forth over the text.

Ten seconds of reading. Page flip. Repeat.

They kept this up for awhile before James suddenly slid the book aside with a discouraged look.

"Jessie, I don't know if this is really helping, but I don't know what more we can do right now," he said wearily. "I'm getting tired, and I don't think I'm absorbing much of this information."

Jessie gave a sigh and nodded. "I suppose you might be right," she admitted. "I'm sure we're both smart enough to pass the test, anyway." Jessie wasn't sure she fully believed it, but there was no sense in ruining a perfect night with worrying. Besides, her confidence was at an all-time high. She very well could be right.

"Yes, we are, aren't we? We're good enough, no matter what they say," James said in a voice of determination. "And no matter _what_ happens tomorrow, we'll always have tonight." The lavender-haired boy smiled. "This was the best night of my life," he added, looking as drowsy as Jessie felt. He inched closer so he could grab a pillow to prop his head up on. "And it's all because of you." He looked at her so happily, his head cocked slightly to one side, bringing to mind a cute little dog Pokemon, like a Growlithe or something.

 _Oh, my gosh, is he going to kiss me?! Are we going to kiss?!_

Jessie felt her cheeks heat up, but she wasn't feeling skittish about it. She was going to get her first kiss, after all! Forget about Sterling, that snobbish piece of snot! James was here, and he was so kind, and they'd had a great time tonight, and he really _was_ attractive in a cute, sweet kind of way.

She had never clicked with anyone as fast as she had with James, either.

James continued to hold her gaze. Jessie saw a flicker of what looked like fear in his eyes, but she didn't hold that against him. She was nervous, too.

 _Boy, it's going to be weird to kiss my own lipstick off his lips…_

Suddenly _,_ a very loud " _Snoooooooort!_ " cut through the air, and both Jessie and James leapt about about a mile into the air over the bed.

"What was that?!" Jessie exclaimed. "Thunder?"

James poked her gently on the arm and then proceeded to point over toward Tyra's bed, where the girl lay sprawled on her back, eyes closed, her chest moving up and down in a steady rhythm.

"Tyra looks to be already asleep," James noted.

"Lightweight," snorted Jessie with as much bravado and worldliness as she could must, though she'd never drunk before tonight.

Jessie herself was light-headed and heavy-lidded. She couldn't tell if it was from the tiny bit of wine, or if she was just tired from a long and eventful night. The featherbed beneath her seemed extra comfortable tonight, and she sighed gratefully as she laid her head down on a pillow and sank into a deep, welcoming sleep.

* * *

There was a pit in Jessie's stomach preventing her from eating as she stood against the wall in the dining area with James at her side. She'd never turned down a meal before in her life, but then, she'd never felt so tense before in her life.

"It went poorly, didn't it?" sighed James glumly, hanging his head.

"It...feels that way," Jessie reluctantly agreed, leaning her head back against the wall. "I didn't know half the answers on that test. I don't think I knew even a quarter!"

"I was in such a panic taking that test," moaned James. "I just started picking answers at random. I think I might've even circled more than one answer for some questions, I was so flustered. Ohhhhh, if my old teachers could see me now, how embarrassed they'd be!"

"Well," said Jessie doubtfully, "you never know. Maybe it's just the stress getting to us. Maybe...we did better than we think."

The school intercom crackled like lightning then, making all the students sit up straight at their tables as though their spines had turned into metal rods. Then, a female voice boomed out at them all, sounding dark and displeased and stern.

"Attention, please! May I have your attention, please! Immediately after lunch, the following students are to report to my office: Jessica Rochester and James Morgan. I repeat, Miss Jessica Rochester and Mr. James Morgan to the Headmistress's office immediately following the luncheon period. That is all."

* * *

"And I must say that this is an absolute disgrace," the Headmistress sniffed. She had her hands calmly folded on the desk in front of her, while a vein throbbed obviously on her forehead like a flashing neon sign. "You want to know what I think? I think that the most likely explanation is that you deliberately set out to waste our time here at Pokemon Tech, and I can't help but feel grossly insulted by that. All of your instructors ought to feel grossly insulted by that. And now, the best thing you can do to attempt to show some integrity is admit to the selfish prank you've pulled on all of us."

"Why, will you let us stay if we do?" Jessie asked, her voice flatly devoid of the diffidence she knew the Headmistress expected. She didn't turn to her side to look at him, but she sensed James look at her with the same kind of shock, too. Jessie wasn't really aiming to be as snide as she could be- not yet- but she was tired and disillusioned and cared more about her and James's shattered dreams right now than this pompous disciplinarian's feelings about a couple of kids doing poorly on a test.

The Headmistress was a great big wall of a woman, barricading them off from their happy ending with shoulders as broad as a Taurus (there, Jessie had learned _some_ Pokemon for her exam). She cracked her knuckles on top of her desk and glowered at the kids.

"Of course not!" She bristled. "I suggested that gesture because it is the very least you can do to appear somewhat thoughtful after you've behaved so thoughtlessly. But we can't change our famously high entrance standards at this school for anyone, especially for those on whom a world class education would simply be wasted."

Jessie did look at James then, and watched his cheeks become tinted scarlet, as his head drooped and he regarded the floor in shame.

"Well, then, what's the point of even apologizing for our poor scores?" asked Jessie with a careless shrug.

The Headmistress _huffed_ through her nose so forcefully, Jessie half expected to see her itty bitty brain get forced out a nostril.

"Young missy, you've got a thing or two to learn about respect! We here at Pokemon Technical Institute, _the premiere school for Pokemon learning,_ are not used to anyone taking the educational opportunities we provide for granted. The scores that you two have received for your entrance examinations are so low that you couldn't possibly have made a serious effort. I won't conceal the truth from you- these are the lowest scores that any applicant has ever received in the history of the school!"

And with that, the Headmistress reached into a desk drawer, and when she pulled her hand back out, it was grasping a folder. She flipped it open on her desk with a rough flourish that somehow managed not to tear the cover in two.

"Here! Have a look at your _achievements_."

Jessie and James both reluctantly leaned in to look where she was pointing. Their names, one right above the other, were the last two in a long column of names. And across the row from where their names were printed, each of them had their cumulative test score glaring at them none too proudly.

" _22%..."_ James murmured, looking like he might faint. Jessie herself felt the blood drain from her face.

"Yes," stated the Headmistress crisply. "Both of you have earned the same shameful score. I did wonder if you had cheated off each other, no matter how little good it did either of you. But then I checked, and it turns out you missed different questions, so it looks like at least you're not guilty of that infraction."

"Ma'am," James ventured in a trembling voice, "We do most sincerely apologize if we insulted the school with our poor grades. We really did take the test seriously, I promise you. We must have been overtired and overstressed, so we ended up sabotaging ourselves. But…"

He suddenly stopped talking when the door to the Headmistress's office creaked open. A familiar figure shuffled inside, her ever-present headband doing little to keep her green locks out of her eyes, as they automatically fell into the face she kept pointing at the floor.

"Why is Tyra in here? She must've gotten a great score on the exam." As Jessie spoke her thoughts out loud, she stared at Tyra until the girl met her questioning gaze. Tyra's eyes only communicated back sadness.

"She didn't just have a last-minute cram session," Jessie went on. "She's been studying a whole bunch! All week, and even over the weekend, too!."

"I have called her in here for another reason," stated the Headmistress. "And Jessica, if you will please hold your tongue and not ask impertinent questions before I can explain matters to you."

Jessie glared, but fell silent. She turned her gaze back to Tyra, who was looking back with a face full of woe.

"Now, Tyra's situation is really quite a pity, as she made very high marks on today's examinations," stated the Headmistress, and her expression was a little less harsh as she regarded the green-haired girl. "That's why I had her privately pulled aside and brought here. But," she went on, sighing heavily, "she broke a very serious school policy, and this infraction must not go unpunished, howsoever I'm convinced you two…" the Headmistress pointed at Jessie and James, "...have been a bad influence on her."

"What happened?" asked James with a frown. Tyra shook her head once, almost imperceptibly, and the Headmistress suddenly whipped the top of her desk with a ruler. All three kids visibly jumped.

"How many times must I say it! You will kindly allow meto explain the situation without interruption!" snapped the Headmistress.

"That's not fair!" Jessie argued. "This is the first time you told James! Before, you only told me to stop interrupting."

The Headmistress glared daggers at her. "And now I'm telling you again, aren't I? And don't be such a little miss smart aleck. If Pokemon Tech can't teach you anything else, maybe I can at least impart this lesson. Don't be rude. Respect authority." The infuriated administrator then looked around at each of the children in turn. "And always conduct yourselves as ladies and gentlemen. The whole reason Tyra is here is because she did _not_ conduct herself like a proper young lady."

Tyra shuffled closer to her two friends and Jessie wrapped an arm around the green-haired girl's shoulders.

The Headmistress narrowed her eyes at them.

"I wouldn't get so chummy with these two if I were you, Tyra. They've caused you enough problems already." The head of the school then flicked her eyes back and forth between Jessie and James. "I'll tell you what you've done to this poor girl. You've gotten her in trouble for having a male guest in her room. An eyewitness this morning said that they saw James leaving the dorm room that she and Jessie share."

James went very pale.

"Tyra, I'm s-s-so sorry, I never should have agreed to- "

"No, you shouldn't have," the Headmistress hissed. "But I'm glad you at least have the decency to apologise to your friend. Maybe you _should_ all stick together, bad influence or no. You'll need all the help you can get in this world, with this stain on your reputations. The school can no longer stand behind you. It is my duty to formally inform you that you are all hereby expelled from Pokemon Technical Institute."

 _ **To be continued..**_


End file.
